Sea of Shipping
by Solis Knight
Summary: A compilation of Shipping stories. NOTE: NEW CHAPTER! WOOT! Ivan-Garet from the Gamefaqs boards has requested a Valeshipper, so heres chapter 10! Note; Now rated M for the lemon! At his request, of course. Read if you wish, lemon is duly noted.
1. Blind Foresight

Blind Foresight

Blind Foresight

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun, nor its trademarks, nor its property, nor do I own Nintendo, nor Camelot, nor any of its games, nor any of its characters. If I did, we would have seen golden sun 5 by now. On with the story.

A boy stood on the path leading to the mountain. A breeze swept by, but he hardly noticed. Lost in memories, he looked upon the sacred mountain of Vale. To think, that this mountain had started that nightmare… The boy suddenly flinched, as he heard the sound of running behind him.

_Sand…_

A blond boy ran up to the path. He had a simple tunic, and an ornate sword slung on his back. Just looking at it, you could feel the searing heat of a meteor bearing down on you. He stopped, confused. The guys down at the plaza had said he would be here, and he could have sworn that he had felt a presence here as he ran…

"Felix, where are you?"

The boy looked down, seeing a disturbed patch of ground in front of him… Did Felix really think he could hide from him?

_Scoop…_

A ghostly hand reached down into the earth. The boy called Felix was pulled from the ground with singular ease. He seemed amused, letting out a rare bout of laughter.

"Isaac, what are you doing here?"

"Someone told me you'd be here. I came to ask you about something."

"What's wrong?"

"Have you seen the lapis?"

Felix remembered the small stone recovered from the lighthouse. It had an unusual psynergy inside of it… Who would take it? Isaac must have thought that he had taken it.

"No… it's missing?"

"Piers was looking after it, and he said he couldn't find it anywhere."

Felix was puzzled… did someone from the village steal it? Wait… he remembered that morning, Sheba was headed to the inn where the non-Valeans were staying… She seemed distant, her eyes, normally crystalline, were dull and unfocussed. She had not noticed him as she ran past. Could she have…?

"Isaac… I have to go… _now_."

"Wha-?"

But Felix was already down the path, heading back toward the village. Why would Sheba take it without telling us? His djinn, normally on standby in case something were happening to the village, were lazily sleeping inside of him. One by one, he set them to a more ready position. His steps grew faster and faster every few steps. As his last djinni was set, he came to the terrace above the New Vale plaza, where the psynergy stone was still standing. It was the symbol of the old Vale, as well as the New Vale. It had not fallen when the Golden Sun rose. Without stopping, he leapt easily on top of the crystal. His mind was charged, his psynergy working overtime. The villagers were too busy to see him, as blue psynergetic rings engulfed his body. He could feel the earth, and he could feel… someone heading to the forest outside the village. He leapt to the ground and sprinted out the gate. The rings dissipated upon contact with the ground. What was going on?

Sheba left the small town feeling down. She had just taken the lapis from Piers' pouch, and the cyclone chip was already in her possession. She had to know… Where did she come from? She was about to take a big step, and she hoped her friends would forgive her. She felt sad not telling them… especially Felix. She had grown to like him during their journey. She felt she could tell him anything. But this was just too much. She had to do this on her own. Suddenly, she felt a tug in her mind, her vision blurred, her mind opened to see, something… was coming. She leapt, nearly flew, to the middle branches of a nearby tree. A dark haired boy walked down the path from the village.

"Sheba. Come out… We need to talk."

It was just Felix… She fell from the tree with singular grace, and landed with the slightest of taps. What was he doing here?

"What about, Felix?"

"Why did you steal the lapis? Why are you outside the village? Why are you leaving us…?"

"I'm sorry Felix… I have to know. I hope you will forgive me."

As she said that last sentence, her eyes closed as her mind opened, releasing bands of psynergy that would activate the lapis. As the last ring formed, and the bands started to pull her in every direction, she cried one single tear for what she had done. She had forced herself away from the one person who cared for her. Felix had leapt from the top of a lighthouse to save her from drowning, why couldn't she tell him? Why?

Felix was dumbfounded. Sheba was disappearing before his eyes, heading off for some journey, without telling any of them where she was going. Not even him, the person who had leapt from the top of Venus to save her! He didn't know if it was psynergy, or his mind working faster than normal, but time itself seemed to slow. He ran as fast as he could towards her, but the teleportation spell was already in motion. He was surprised to feel psynergy flowing through him again. What was happening? By sheer dumb luck he managed to grab onto her shoulder before the psynergy ripped them from their bodies and carried them across Weyard.

When he woke up, he was outside of Contigo. An old town said to be descendant of the Anemos. Sheba was nowhere in sight. He had a feeling she was heading towards the one place she seemed attached to. Felix detached himself from the ground, and limped towards the lighthouse. It had taken all of his psynergy strength to keep his connection with Sheba solid. By the end, it had almost completely been drained, and he was flung from her as they landed. Somehow, he still ended up close enough to Jupiter Lighthouse to feel its effects upon him. He felt weak, nearly devoid of strength. He stopped… remembering the creatures they had fought near here. He remembered when he found the Sol Blade in mars lighthouse. He had tossed it without hesitation to Isaac in exchange for the Gaia Blade. He was fond of it, as it embodied his elemental power. He remembered that Venus was a power of creation. He summoned up his last dregs of psynergy, and…

_Gaia Blade… _The Gaia Blade seemed to rise from the earth in front of him. He continued with newfound determination towards the lighthouse. What could she possibly be thinking? She wasn't suicidal… was she?

Sheba wiped a tear from her eye as she stood in front of the Lighthouse. Felix was gone, and she couldn't go back. She walked to the entrance, feeling the familiar surge of strength that she normally felt when using psynergy. The beacon would make climbing to the aerie a breeze. Literally. She didn't feel like using the elevator, she needed to mentally prepare herself for the ordeal she was about to put herself through. She would climb to the aerie, and… feel something? She didn't quite know what exactly she was doing. She had a vision of the lighthouse beacon, and the light reminded her of something she had never known: her family.

"What have I done?" She muttered to herself. The lighthouse opened it's doors to her touch. She cast cyclone over and over, leaping to the top of the lighthouse in a matter of hours. The creatures feeding on the raw elemental energy of the beacon were no match for her psynergy. They received a smart Spark Plasma to the face for their insolence. She reached the door to the aerie, and sighed one more time.

"It's time. I have to know."

She walked into the sunset streaming through the door. Out into the light never-ending breeze of the aerie. Out into her destiny.

Felix reached the base in an hour. He glanced up, gazing at the tower… and saw small gusts of wind spouting from the lighthouse in odd spots, always rising… Sheba! He was in time! He raced to the ladder, and climbed up it as fast as he could. He ran to the elevator, but it was obviously not at ground right now. Sol! How could he summon the elevator? He suspected a wind based psynergy would be involved… It looked as if he would have to give up. As if at that moment, Sol was watching him, a gust from the lighthouse blew at the statue next to him. It glowed slightly, and bands of psynergy rose around it. The elevator descended. He leapt on it, thinking of how lucky he had been. As he slowly ascended to the heavens, he wondered what Sheba was thinking. The raw power could kill her! He flinched, thinking, it could kill him! He had followed Sheba without thought… He reflected on his feelings for her… She was the holy one, the jewel of the group. She was never allowed to be harmed. She always got the best of everything they could give her, armor, weapons, even the rooms at the inn. The others all thought it was just because they had promised Lalivero before they left that they would keep her safe, but Felix had always thought her as more than a jewel. He… loved her.

Sheba stood in front of the beacon. Contemplating what to do… In her vision, she was… touching the beacon, but surely that would be suicidal…

"Sheba."

She nearly died from the shock. Was she seeing a ghost? Felix stood at the stairs, looking at her with more than just concern…

_Mind Read…_

_You don't have to read my mind to see what I'm thinking, Sheba._

"Just ask me."

"Why are you here, Felix?"

"Why are you? Don't you realize how dangerous this place is?"

"I do… but I have to know."

"Know what?"

"Where I came from… The answer is here. You won't stop me from learning about myself, will you?"

"The beacon will kill you before you learn one thing, Sheba. You know that. I won't let you kill yourself!"

"I'm sorry Felix."

She hated herself for shunning Felix. But she had to know, she was obsessed. Her hand twitched. She had to… Her hand rose. Felix suddenly raced towards her, but it was too late. Her five fingers touched the beacon. The light suddenly rippled from her fingertips. The five ripples merged into one psynergetic ring. It grew until it was the size of her body, and then it engulfed her. As the ring rushed past her body horizontally, she glowed with Jupiter power. She… was… omniscient.

Felix couldn't believe it. She was going to throw away her life just for a chance to know her origin. Her hand twitched. No! He wouldn't let her die! Just like last time, time seemed to slow. But too late, he was not strong enough. A psynergetic band released from the beacon, engulfing her. The shockwave was enormous. He was thrown into the air by a force unlike he had ever seen. His muscles tensed. Sheba seemed to glow with psynergetic might. The gale grew stronger. He was being bound by the Jupiter beacon. He struggled as long as he could to break free, but he couldn't. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was one crystalline jewel after another, opening and gazing right through him.

Darkness was all around him. He couldn't see his hand if it was in front of his face. The only light was from a statue, with golden hair that shimmered and radiated pure light. A statue with crystalline violet eyes. It was Sheba. He ran without moving, his mind felt the movement but his body did not react. As hard as he ran Sheba never got closer. He suddenly noticed that she was looking at something. His mind seemed to turn as his body would have. There, in front of him, was the moon. But he realized that it wasn't. The Anemos were said to have ascended to the heavens when Alchemy was sealed. He saw a city worthy of being called heaven. This couldn't be… The city was barren, empty. Devoid of life. He only saw a girl, about five years old, looking up. He looked up and saw Weyard. He could see the crater where they first cast the spell that would take their city to the sky. He could see the lighthouse. He could see Gaia Falls, and the continents drifting. Wait, what was the girl doing? A ball of energy was emanating from her palm. Was this… Alchemy? The ball grew translucent, and a whirlwind could be seen inside. It was growing to freakish size, until the ball could not contain it anymore. The young Sheba (for it had been her) shed a tear, and burst the ball with passion. The ball was thrown to the ground, releasing the maelstrom. The tornado lifted her off her feet. Two more balls of energy, the tornado reversed direction. Instead of falling back to the ground, gravity itself seemed to shift. The girl seemed to fall headfirst to Weyard. He saw she was headed straight to Lalivero, confirming his suspicions. This was where Sheba was from. She had survived the fall of the Anemos, and fled to a better world. She must not have remembered it from the shock of the landing. Or maybe it was because she was so young at the time… Suddenly, the statue next to him moved its head. He could move again, not that it would help him. One look into Sheba's eyes, and a shock hit him squarely in the chest. He flew back, and before he landed, Sheba's eyes bored into his soul, suspending his body in midair.

Sheba couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was descendant of the Anemos. She had come from the empty city in the sky. Her realization just gave her more questions. Why? Why did she jump, why did the Anemos leave, and why couldn't she remember?! Then she noticed Felix. She did not feel joy, she did not feel anger… She felt empty. She decided to learn what truly made him come. Without even intending to, she activated her psynergy. A ball of lightning appeared at his chest. She was surprised, and released it as quick as it had appeared, and yet she continued. She pierced him with the force of ten mind reads at once. Later, she would not recall how she used that psynergy, but here… She could do anything.

_Soul Search…_

She saw right through him. She saw what had made him jump from the lighthouse, what had made him give her preferential treatment over the others, what had made him so silent in her presence. Felix loved her. Sheba was surprised at how he kept it hidden so well, and yet she saw how obvious it was from the start. The one thing that surprised her the most, is that she loved him back. She resented that she was the one who got the best of everything, but she could not resist anything that he offered. He was the one who protected her when Saturos and Menardi yelled at her. She reveled at every time he stood up for her. Every monster in the field that even came close to hurting him received a smart Ray or Spark Plasma in the face for it. Even the dead ones received a gift, when the party was out of sight. How could she not have seen? She had been blind in her foresight. In her mind, she withdrew her glare. Her eyes closed, and the last thing she saw before her mind drifted off to sleep, was a vision of her and Felix in New Vale, together. They would be together after all…

"Sheba… Sheba wake up!"

He begged her to get up. He paid no attention to the fact that she was taller and older. He only saw her face, with her golden hair strands across her eyes. He implored her to wake, he feared that the lighthouse had shocked her so much that she would be in a coma. He would be without her, forever. Just as he began to lose hope and despair, Sheba groaned.

"_Ohhhhhh…_"

"Sheba! Are you ok?"

"I don't know… where are we?"

"The aerie… you… you touched the beacon."

"I remember… Felix… can I ask you something?"

"Why not read my mind and find out that way?"

He did not know why he was being so cold. Maybe it was to further hide the reason he came. Why did he not just tell her of his love? Because she was 15, too young to understand. Vale would shun him if he married a girl before she was old enough to feel love. He would wait until she was old enough to understand his feelings.

"Felix… I promise never to read your mind again."

He was surprised. This was totally unlike her. The Chosen One of Lalivero would never relinquish something she loved so much. He stood up, shaking. Then he noticed, Sheba was taller. She looked… older. Her hair was longer.

"Sheba… look at yourself."

"What?"

He watched her get up and look herself over. She jumped in shock. The lighthouse had aged her!

"How old are you now?"

"I don't kn-…" Psynergetic rings pulsed around her. "18."

Felix's mind raced. Her body may have changed, but was she still that young child at heart? No… she had never been a child. Whether it was her raising or her Jupiter foresight, she grew past her childhood fast. Still, she had never experienced love before.

"Sheba… I have never spoken like this to anyone else…"

"Felix?"

"Sheba…" He paused, looking at her a moment. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I love you."

"I love you too, Felix. From the day that I was captured, you were always there for me. You leapt from the lighthouse aerie to save me. You are my love Felix, and I want to be with you forever."

"Let's go home, Sheba."

Sheba ran at him and embraced him lovingly. He kissed her, and he had never felt happier in his whole life.

"Alright, tough guy. I'll take you home. I suppose you can't help at all because of the beacon."

"For you, I would fight Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio myself right in front of the lighthouse for you. I'll manage."

They embraced again. And if an Adept could see them, they would see Psynergy bands surrounding them both, as their psynergy merged and grew. They were one.

Thats all folks. Please review if you have the time. I appreciate any and all criticism of my work as it is my first fanfic.


	2. Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun, nor its creators, nor its characters, nor its sequels, if I did then wed be seeing golden sun 5 by now.

Isaac lay in his bed, thinking about what the day might bring. Yesterday, Felix and Sheba had come back to the village, surprising them with an older Sheba. It turns out that the lighthouses were indeed dangerous, just as the Wise One had said… Felix had openly proclaimed his love for Sheba in the town square that very day. Isaac was happy for them, but it got him thinking about his own life. The non-Valeans were staying at the inn and he longed to see the aqua-haired mercury adept that he had become close friends with. Felix and Sheba had told the other that they loved them, why couldn't Isaac express his feelings for Mia to her?

Crash!

Thud.

His djinn were at it again… He had opted for them to sleep wherever they wanted, so long as they weren't inside of him to hear his thoughts. Well, everyone except Granite. He had been sparring lately and he needed someone to go against, so Granite had been creating a barrier to strike against. The only condition was that he could sleep with Isaac. He had obliged, and they had discussed his feelings a lot when they were lying in bed.

"Boss, looks like Mold fell off the cabinet again. I told him not to sleep there!" Granite whispered to him.

_Carry…_

A ghostly hand picked up Mold from where he lie and set him back down on top of his dresser. Out of the psynergy-bestowing items they had found over their journey, Isaac was allowed to keep the Cloak Ball, the Carry Stone, and the Orb of Force. He liked them, and practiced with them daily. He sat up, and called to his djinn:

"All right gang, lets get moving."

His djinn all jumped on top of him, and he allowed them to be absorbed into his subconscious. He got up and picked up the Cloak Ball from where Flint and Quartz had dropped it after playing catch with it. He opened the door to his room and walked down the stairs.

Mia was outside in the woods picking herbs for medicine. She paid for the rent by performing healing for the villagers. They did not have a sacred spring to heal them like in her village. Luckily, the forests outside the village were ideal for finding herbs. The forests near her hometown were too frozen to find much of anything useful. She gathered the pile she had been making into her basket, then walked back to town. She stopped at the town gate, admiring the Psynergy stone prominently displayed in the village plaza. It was remarkable, that such a stone could exist in all its beauty anywhere in the world. She walked toward it, intending to recharge her energies before heading back to her hotel to grind the herbs. When she closed half the distance to the stone, the ground started to shake lightly. She looked around to find the source, but she couldn't see either of the Venus adepts that could create the tremor. She shrugged, and continued towards the stone.

"Wonder what they're doing…"

The stone felt cool and smooth to the touch. She felt a rush of cool water course through her body. Her psynergy was replenished. She then headed to the river, where Isaac was known to train. She just knew when that blond haired adept was up to something.

Isaac stood near the river, panting. Felix stood across from him, grinning from ear to ear. That last attack had worn him out, and he had just barely made it up the tree in time. Grand Gaia is no joke, he had felt it before. Felix definitely had an advantage over him, as he was older, but it was more than that. His djinn were empowering him, and Odyssey was a definite possibility in his arsenal. He had to think quickly, as Felix probably knew where he was.

"Ragnarok!"

A giant sword crashed into the spot he had been occupying just a second ago. He had leapt into the river. Granted, normally that wouldn't have been a good idea, but he had a plan.

_Sand…_

The wet mud suddenly was a blessing. He tunneled his way until he felt the adept's calm steps above him. The time to strike was near! He waited until he was just in front of the river, and emerged from the sand, shouting:

"Stone spire!"

Large spires seemed to appear from thin air over the older boy's head, but Isaac knew Felix was a quick thinker. The dark haired adept quickly leapt out of the way, just as Isaac knew he would. Isaac dashed after him, thrusting and slashing with the Sol Blade as if he was fighting a demon. The dark haired boy lost ground under the merciless assault, and suddenly felt a tree at his back. Isaac quickly raised his blade to the helpless boy's neck.

"Checkmate."

"You're getting better, Isaac. Keep up the training."

"Felix, how could you?!"

Mia was right behind them, glaring at Felix with a death threat.

"Were you trying to kill him with that Grand Gaia, or were you simply trying to see how big a shockwave you could make?!"

"Mia, it's all part of training. If Isaac doesn't learn how to think on his feet, an enemy would surely overpower him."

Isaac had obviously lowered his blade at the sight of Mia, and Felix took the opportunity to play a dirty trick while Isaac had his back turned. The blond suddenly felt a feeling of dread as the dark haired boy behind him suddenly yelled out:

"Odyssey!"

Isaac had to think quickly. As the swords were rushing at him, instead of leaping backwards as Felix thought he would, he hopped to the tree, using the dark haired boy's own head as a stepping stone. From his vantage point, he could see the older boy's frustration as he realized he was slashing at air. The blond quickly leapt from the tree, shouting:

"Grand Gaia!!"

The ground shook as a rift opened in the ground. Felix was caught in an upside down rockslide, and he couldn't escape. Fortunately, Isaac realized he had won and stopped the spell before it could do any real damage.

"Nice try Felix."

A girls voice rang out in the dust that had formed when the spell was canceled.

"Boys, you have GOT to stop that. Glacier!"

The dust settled, and the boys found themselves trapped in an ice tomb. Mia stepped forward.

"That should teach you boys a lesson. When I release your heads, promise to me that you will stop using that spell. Promise?"

As she said the word, the ice around their heads shattered. They quickly promised anything that she wanted. It was cold in there.

Mia found herself quietly chuckling as the boys started promising to do anything if she'd let them out. Oh joy, this was going to be fun.

"Felix, I want you to stop being so hard on Garet. He may be a bit slow, but he has his moments. Promise?"

Another crack. The ice around their bodies weakened a bit. Mia could see Isaac shudder with dread at what would happen to him.

"Promise."

Now it was Isaac's turn. Mia thought of what she could ask him to do… Help her plant a garden? Nah, it would be too simple with their elements. With a snap of her fingers the ice tomb broke around Felix. The boy collapsed, and lay there shivering with the cold.

Suddenly, she knew what to do.

"Felix, if you don't want to feel an Ice Missile, I suggest you run away. NOW."

The dark haired boy didn't need to be told twice. When he was completely gone, Mia looked at Isaac. She chuckled deviously at what she was about to say.

"Isaac, you are going to go on a date with me."

"Wh-What?"

"Go on a date. With me. Or… you could stay in there. It's your choice."

She was surprised when he didn't even miss a beat.

"Done. We can do whatever you want."

Wow. Boys have GOT to learn that girls shouldn't be given these opportunities. Another snap of her fingers, the prison shattered, and Isaac was dropped to the ground, almost blue with the cold. Mia walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. Instantly, the cold disappeared.

"Tonight, the forest. You'll know where."

At that, she disappeared, chuckling deviously at her little plan. Little did she know that she no longer held the cards.

Isaac got up and dusted himself off. A date with Mia? Why didn't he ask her sooner? Well, at least she asked him. He thought for a second.

"Granite, what were you saying about those volcanoes?"

Granite piped up immediately. "Scorch was telling me that sometimes the heat and pressure the volcano exerted on the rocks turned them into gems."

Isaac thought for a second… He suddenly came up with a idea. He had a hunch that he could make the perfect gift for Mia, even though it would take a bit. He didn't have all day though, so he quickly improvised a plan of action and ran after Mia.

"Mia!" he shouted.

He caught up to Mia halfway to New Vale. He had to find a way to ask her for one of her Djinni… But how? Aha! He had an idea.

"What, Isaac?"

"I was just thinking, Crystal seems a little lonely. I was wondering if I could trade one of my Djinni for Sleet? Crystal seems to like him."

Sleet was one of the 3 male Djinn travelling with Mia. He needed Sleet for his plan to work. He only hoped that she would buy the bogus story. Of course, Crystal WAS a bit lonely, as none of his Venus Djinn would play with her, so technically it was true…

"Sure. How bout Ground spends the day with me?"

He quickly had a conversation with ground, which included several long dreamy sighs from Ground, and some groans from himself, but eventually he got ground to oblige.

"Okay. Ground?"

Ground popped up at his shoulder, and Sleet did the same with Mia. They switched places, and Isaac thanked her.

"I never knew you cared so much for your djinn, Isaac…"

"They're my friends, Mia. Of course I care."

"Okay then. See you tonight, lover boy." She chuckled all the way back to New Vale.

"So what do you REALLY want me for Isaac?" Sleet said in his ear.

"I have a really good plan to make a gift for Mia, and I need your help.

"Ooh, do tell."

Isaac was forced to explain his entire plan to the Mercury djinni on the way to Garet's house. Sleet was impressed.

"Wow. That's very… smart of you."

"Thanks. Wanna talk to crystal now? She really is lonely."

"Fine."

The djinni disappeared inside him. And he instantly felt a surge of gratitude from Crystal. That was interrupted by Garet yelling loudly inside. Something about…. Bedtimes… He chuckled, and knocked on the door. Kay answered it.

"Oh hey Isaac. One sec, ill grab Garet for ya. GARET GET DOWN HERE YOU LAZY BUM! IT'S ISAAC!"

Isaac inwardly wondered how Garet put up with it, but soon he was at the door. He didn't bother coming up with a story this time, Garet wouldn't even understand.

"Garet, I need Scorch for a while."

"Why do you need him?"

"Uhh…. It's a secret, I promise to tell you later but for now could I please take him for a while?"

Garet seemed to sigh, but he took it in stride. They quickly exchanged djinn; Flint for Scorch. Isaac thanked him, and headed back to the river, explaining to Scorch his idea for a gift for Mia.

"I'm planning on making a gift for her so beautiful she will have to love me!"

"What do ya got in mind?"

"Well, first I would get some sand from the training grounds near the river. Don't ask, a Grand Gaia is involved. Then, I would take a flower seed, as they seem to be full of Venus energy. I'm planning on empowering it with the Revive spell, then encasing it in sand. Granite can help protect it as I compress the sand. Then, sleet will encase it in an ice film, mostly to keep the compression intact for the next step. Then, I'm going to use Mother Gaia to apply force to the frozen sand. Don't ask, I'm banned from using Grand Gaia. Scorch, I'd like you to heat the rocks as they compress the sand further. Hopefully, the forces involved will morph the sand into a jewel, with the seed encased inside."

Scorch was impressed, he could tell. By the time he had finished explaining, they were at the river. The sun was getting lower in the sky by now as well. Isaac set out to work. He had already found a seed in the forest, and he began to concentrate on it. His djinn could see the psynergetic bands envelop him. Some even started to rise around the seed as well. The Revive spell was cast over and over on the seed, until it started to glow a dull green. But the rings did not disappear. Some sand started to rise around the seed, encasing it in a sand tomb. Granite was there of course, protecting the seed from harm. At a word from Isaac, Sleet hopped to the river. The water surged, and an icy blast shot at the sand bundle. The sand was encased in ice.

Meanwhile, Mia had reached the village again. She walked back up to the path to the inn, thinking about what Isaac had said. She had interrogated ground, but he only told her that Crystal was indeed lonely and wanted someone to talk to. And then he asked her if he could talk to Dew. She sighed, and calmly told him to ask her. She was nearly deafened by his shouts of glee. She reached the inn, and walked back up to her room. She lay down on her bed, thinking of all of the romantic things they would do on their date. The basket of herbs lay forgotten at the door. They would go in the forest… take a walk… and then at the end shed ask him to kiss her. He had said he would do anything she wanted to do, didn't he? Her female djinn sighed dreamily. The males tuned her out of course. They, unlike her, had seen what Isaac was really up to when he asked for Sleet. They were now quietly discussing what he could need Sleet for. Possibly to ask him how she felt about him? No way. He would have asked one of the girls. Perhaps advice on what to say to her? Again, no way. The girls were much better at that. The heated debate grew louder, until Mia woke up from her daydreams to listen in. At which point the djinn told her that they were just discussing the weather. Then they did indeed talk about the weather to throw her off. Mia sighed, and realized it was nearly sundown! She got up, and quickly took a nice bath and washed up. Then she put on her best dress and left the inn. She met Sheba along the way to the forest, who, of course, stopped and asked her where she was going. She told her where, and her mind told her why. Sheba giggled and said:

"Good luck Mia. I'm sure you'll have fun tonight."

Mia sighed. She thanked her, and inwardly cursed her Mind Read abilities. Nothing was private anymore!

"Oh I'm sorry Mia; I didn't mean to pry…"

"It's ok Sheba. You probably know more about dating than I do anyway."

"I've only been on one, which technically wasn't a "date"."

"Well, I'll tell you how it goes tonight. Good night, Sheba."

"Have a nice night, Mia."

Mia smiled, glad to have a friend to talk to. She was really nervous about tonight. She DID ask him while he was nearly unconscious after all. What if he was mad at her? She decided to apologize when she saw him… She reached the spot she chose earlier. The sunset was really beautiful. She sighed dreamily. If only Isaac was here to see this.

Hours earlier, Isaac had just finished pounding the sand with as much force as he dared, so as not to break the seed. Scorch was using every ounce of power he had to heat the rock, and Sleet was sitting there with Crystal, apparently considering this a "first date". Isaac finally finished, sweat pouring off of his forehead. The rocks broke, the fire died down. The blond boy gasped, staring at the crystal he had made. It glowed with a light green light, softly in the daylight. He then took some gold coins out of his wallet. He had kept them for just such an occasion. As he tossed them into the air, Scorch promptly melted the coins. Isaac glowed with psynergetic light, shaping the molten gold into a ring. The band of metal fell slowly to his palm, cooling with every second. Another psynergetic glow from the blond, and four gold spires erupted from the band. The spires twisted to form a place for the crystal to be held in place. A slight depression in the ring formed a place for the crystal to rest in while the spires held it in place. He carefully set the jewel in place, and a psynergetic pulse secured it within the spires. He held in his hand a pure gold ring, with a glowing jewel set in the socket. He pulled out a small black box, and placed the ring within it. He noticed that the sun was hanging low in the sky, and called for his djinn to follow him home. He needed to wash up after his work with the crystal. His mother, thankfully, wasn't home at the time. He raced upstairs, let his djinn hop into his room for a slight rest, and hopped into the shower. The water coursing over his skin reminded him of Mia. He was a little nervous about tonight; after all she seemed to think it was funny. But he was determined to tell her how he felt. After a few minutes, he was washed, and dried himself off with a conveniently Scorch-heated towel. He dressed in the nicest tunic, yellow scarf, and leather leggings he could find, and headed outside. As he absorbed his djinn, he stopped and looked at the sunset… He wished he could see it with Mia… Little did he know that Mia was thinking the same thing about him at that exact moment. He walked to the edge of the forest thinking: How would he know where to go? She had said he would know somehow… Suddenly, a blast of ice froze the trees in a clearing not far off. Mia and her ice. He chuckled quietly. As he reached the clearing, he saw the most beautiful angel he had ever seen. She smiled prettily, and he felt the strangest feeling. He just wanted to be with this gorgeous girl for all eternity. He realized that this is what Felix must think when he thinks of Sheba. The girl started off with:

"How is Crystal?"

"She and Sleet have had their first date already it seems."

"I'm glad they're happy. So, would you like to take a walk?"

"Whatever you want to do, Mia."

The djinn hopped off them, leaving them to their moment. Isaac could barely hear Crystal and Sleet walking behind them. They didn't mind, the djinn were just like them: in love. The pair walked together, just looking at each other for about an hour. Then Isaac decided to break the silence.

"The forest is pretty at this time at night."

"It sure is…"

Isaac felt silly, but he decided to take a chance. In his mind, Granite was urging him on of course.

"But not as pretty as you, Mia."

"Aww, that's sweet of you Isaac."

"Mia, d-dyou think… Do you think that we… Were meant to be?"

"Isaac… Are you saying-"

"Mia, I love you… I want to spend every second of my life with you from now on."

"Isaac… kiss me."

Isaac was not at all surprised. He had said that line about doing whatever she wanted for a reason. They stopped and took their first kiss together. Granite was so happy he was crying inside. Sleet and Crystal were now having a "Who can kiss better, djinn or human" contest. Of course, the djinn thought they were winning at first. But then Isaac showed her his gift.

"Mia, I have something for you…"

"Is this what you needed Sleet for?"

"I should have known I couldn't fool you."

"Well, you Do have a mars djinni with you too, and I figured that you needed different djinn for a reason."

"Well…"

Mia was smart… but she could not have been prepared for what would happen next even if she could read minds. The blond boy in front of her dropped to one knee and reverently brought out a tiny black box… Could it be? She took it with tears in her eyes, and when she opened it she gasped. There in the box, was the most beautiful stone she had ever seen, upon a ring she could tell was pure gold. She looked at the face of her lover as he asked:

"Mia… would you marry me, and spend every second of our lives together forever?"

She looked from the ring, to Isaac, and back to the ring, and she replied:

"Yes Isaac, I will. With all my heart."

She put on the ring, and they kissed passionately. Even the djinn behind them were impressed. They kissed for hours, just standing there. There could not have been a happier couple anywhere. At dawn, she saw that Isaac was going to tell her something.

"Mia, would you like your second gift now?

She was incredulous. To think that Isaac would do so much for her when she had encased him in ice that morning… oh no... She had forgotten to tell him she was sorry!

"Isaac, I'm sorry for what I did to you this morning. I shouldn't have done that to you."

"It doesn't matter Mia, I love you. I have something to show you."

She felt his hand touch hers, and she could feel herself blushing. She wondered what he could be showing her.

"Remember how Felix and I were the only ones who could revive besides the djinn?"

She remembered… but what did that have to do with anything?

"Take a look at your ring…"

Mia looked at her hand, and she stared at what she saw. The rings glow was intensifying, it almost looked like… Psynergy!

"The ring – you – It…"

"Yes Mia, I've given you the power of Revive."

She was dumbfounded. The one power she had always wanted was being given to her from the one person she had always loved. Ever since she had first seen him in the lighthouse, he had been her knight in shining armour. She could remember how cute he looked with those psynergetic rings around him, moving the statues in the lighthouse. She kissed him again, and this time, even Felix and Sheba would be jealous of them. They were the cutest couple in Weyard.

"Don't leave me, Isaac… Don't ever leave me."

"I wouldn't dare."

And from then on, the two adepts would find that that moment would remain crystal clear to them forever.

Please, please PLEASE review this one. I thrive on your critique.


	3. A Lost Cause?

Lost Cause

A Lost Cause?

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun, nor its creators, nor do I own Nintendo, nor its property, nor its characters, nor its workers. If I did, we would have seen golden sun 5 by now.

NOTE This story assumes that the last two chapters did NOT happen. Repeat: This story is a separate story. ENDNOTE

Isaac glared at the featureless rock wall in front of him. His sword gleamed in the filtered sunlight through the forest canopy. The Sol Blade felt comfortable in his hands. He lunged at the rock, twisting at the last second to slash the side of the rock. With a flourish, he spun around and attacked again, this time with an overhead swing. Without a pause, he attacked the rock without mercy. Sometimes he would even jab the sword into the rock, pulling it out only to decapitate the top of the pillar. Of course, the rock would never break. Felix stood nearby in the shade to ensure that. Every crack was repaired effortlessly. Soon, sweat was pouring off of the blond haired warrior. But still, the boy pressed on, performing more complex slash combos until finally a howl was heard in the clearing. The boy's mind was filled with the shout:

_MEGIDDO!_

A meteor as hot as the sun crashed upon the rock, crushing it to pieces. The dark haired boy scowled. Isaac could sense his displeasure. He wasn't supposed to do that.

"How are you going to better yourself if you rely on a big rock in space. You need to focus, Isaac."

"I couldn't stop it, it was like the sword did it of its own free will…"

"We both know that's no excuse. We're done for today. See you tomorrow, same spot."

Isaac watched the older adept walk off. He was furious, mostly at himself for allowing the attack to burst out. He suddenly fell to the ground, exhausted. The attack had taken more out of him than he had expected. He lay there until he worked up the strength to sit up. He looked around, wishing the redheaded adept was around to see him. In fact, he would have liked to see either of his redheaded mars adept friends at that moment. He couldn't walk. Training wasn't supposed to do this to him! He cursed Felix for his harsh training. Sighing, he stood up, wincing at the pain. There was nothing he could do though. He had to work hard to prove himself to his childhood friends… Especially Jenna… She was the girl he was working so hard for. What was he thinking, she and Garet liked each other a lot, and she would probably pick the muscular Mars adept over his lightweight Venus butt. Anger surged through him, as he picked up his sword again. He would prove himself worthy… one slash at a time.

Jenna sat near the old path to the sanctum. She smiled, thinking of memories past. Of how the three-some had climbed the mountain, only to have her be kidnapped, and torn away from them. She had cried so much that day… She thought she would never see her Isaac again. Or Garet for that matter, she thought wistfully. But of course she cared for Isaac more than her other childhood friend. The blond haired Venus adept was so dreamy… She sighed, and got up, dusting herself off. She heard the soft footfalls of her older brother behind her. What was he doing here?

"Jenna."

"Hey Felix. How is Isaac doing?"

"Miserable. One wonders how his gang beat Saturos and Menardi at the lighthouse."

"We both know you're underestimating him. I bet he's back there right now, training by himself after you walked out on him!"

"I doubt it. He could hardly stand after that last session!" He chuckled.

Jenna was angry at her brother. No matter his protests of her choice, she loved Isaac. He would NOT scare him off!

"Now you listen here, brother. Go easy on him, or I swear you'll be sleeping on spikes every night. Got that?"

The dark haired boy gulped noticeably. Apparently, Jenna was widely known for her hot-blooded temper. She frowned, knowing that Felix wouldn't let down. Sighing, she went off to find Isaac. She felt a nice feeling as she ignored her brother, walking past him without a care in the world. What did he know? Isaac was the perfect guy. He was pretty, smart, pretty, strong, pretty, nice, pretty, skilled, and… so dreamy… She drifted off into her Isaac-filled fantasy. They were walking along the river, her head on his shoulder. They were holding hands as they expressed their love for each other. Then they would kiss… She felt entranced just thinking about it. Why couldn't boys be like that? If every guy could be like that with a girl, every guy would have a girlfriend! She reached the forest, and stopped… She heard the sound of sword fighting… She ran off to find the source… Was Isaac in trouble?

Isaac viciously attacked the earthen barrier. His djinni was on his shoulder, holding the forcefield in place. Over and over, Isaac's blade clanged into the barrier. One, slice! Two, slash! Three, slice! Four, stab! Over the din of his sword, Isaac could not hear a thing. He had no clue that Jenna was running up behind him, coming to see what the ruckus was all about. He could not hear the audible gasp escape her lips, when she saw him with sweat pouring off of his body. He himself couldn't even feel his drenched shirt. All he knew, was the rhythm of his sword meeting the barrier. Slash, slice, slash, slice, stab! Even if he could stop, he wouldn't. He would get stronger, strong enough to prove himself to Jenna… Strong enough to show Felix he was worthy… Strong enough to protect his love from anything. Slice, stab! Slice, slash, slice, stab! He couldn't even feel that his sword had fallen from his grip… Couldn't even see the ground rush up to meet him. Couldn't feel Jenna next to him, shaking him awake. If he could, he wouldn't be able to respond. He was too tired to even blink at this point.

He woke up in a bed… That's all he could tell. His vision was blurry, and his muscles felt too weak to sit up and look around. The bed felt different though… It was definitely not his own. Where was he? Suddenly, the door opened. Someone walked into the room, holding a bowl. He couldn't see the contents of the bowl, but it tasted awful. The other occupant of the room was spoonfeeding him something. The mixture may have tasted bad, but it sure made him feel better. His vision cleared, his muscles stopped aching, and he felt he could sit up if he tried. He saw it was Felix next to him, and they were in his house. He moaned… and said weakly:

"Where am I?"

"Relax, Isaac. You're at my house. Jenna found you collapsed in the forest. She carried you here all by herself."

"She… did?"

"You sure are lucky to have a girl like her to help you. Speaking of which…"

Isaac felt a hand close around his windpipe… not close enough to stop his breathing, but hard enough to feel. Again with the overprotective brother thing. He would have sighed, if he could breathe normally.

"Nothing was… happening, between you two… was it?"

"No…" he gasped out weakly.

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

Jenna, being the girl that she was, chose that exact moment to walk in on her brother and Isaac. She stared, from Felix, to Isaac, and back to Felix. Isaac hoped that she would consider him before she started shooting fireballs all over the room. He was surprised when she just walked over to her brother, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Isaac wanted to hear, but of course he couldn't even twist his head to get a better look. Suddenly, the redheaded adept grabbed her brother by his shirt, and bodily flung him from the room. Obviously, any restriction on his windpipe was now removed.

"Thanks, Jenna."

"Don't mention it Isaac. Get well soon… for me."

Isaac felt his face get hotter. She did care for him! The girl of his dreams left the room before Isaac could even acknowledge the fact she had spoken. He cursed his weak frame for not being able to get up and dash after her. He heard a sound from the hallway… what was going on in there? He groaned, and sat up. His muscles immediately protested at the movement, and they received no notice from him. He tried to stand, and nearly managed it, before his legs buckled beneath him. He cursed, and supported himself with his arms as he tried again. This time, he was able to get up. He walked slowly to the door, where he found Felix on the floor… Clutching his groin. Mental note: never anger Jenna. He limped past him, heading for the door. Of course, he saw Jenna along the way, sitting at the table. She was attempting to devour a morning snack it seems. The redheaded adept insisted that he sit down and rest. He reluctantly obliged, asking if he might have something small to eat. Of course, Jenna being the girl that she is, laid the entire pantry in front of him. She sat across from him, watching him eat. Which, on cue, made him eat less, stare more. He thanked her over and over for dragging his sorry butt home. She waved his thanks away, blushing lightly. She insisted it was the least she could do. What did he do to deserve a girl like her? That, of course, set him blushing as hot as Jenna was. He really should go… Thanking her again, he limped towards the door, this time receiving no resistance. As he blinked at the bright sunlight outside, he wondered what she must think of him now… Fainting right in the middle of training like that. She would never like him as he liked her…

Jenna watched him limp out the door… Why couldn't she tell him how she felt? She was too shy… so she just watched him. Of course, Felix chose that moment to show up in the hallway, leaning on the wall for support. Serves him right, she sniffed. Trying to strangle the boy she saved right after he woke up!

"Un… called… for…" he coughed weakly.

"SO called for, older brother." She chuckled. "I told you to leave him alone."

"What was I supposed to do, let him feel like this would happen every time he fainted during training? He would never STOP fainting if I let him think that!"

"There's no excuse for trying to strangle him, Felix. You know that… You don't have to be so overprotective!"

"If not me, then who?"

"Felix, I like Isaac! He would never do anything to me!"

"You would be surprised."

"You're hopeless!"

"You're naive!"

She stormed out of the house, tears in her eyes. Felix would never relent! She ran towards the one person she felt she could confide in. At the time, only Ivan and Sheba were staying in Vale. Piers left to research the effect of Alchemy on the various ruins they had explored, while Mia left to check on Imil. She was worried that Alex would come back, for some reason. Jenna ran to the inn, where Sheba was staying at. Ivan was staying in Isaac's house for the time being. She barely caught Sheba as she headed out the door.

"Oh, Jenna! What's wrong?"

"I just need to talk to someone, Sheba…"

"Come here, Jenna. Let's take a walk."

They began to walk around Vale. It felt good to confide with a girl other than her mom about these things.

"Sheba… It's about Felix… he doesn't seem to approve of Isaac."

"Of Isaac in general… Or of YOU and Isaac?

"What do you think, Sheba?" She sniffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jenna… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…"

Typical Sheba… Being so introversive, mind reading everyone instead of talking to them, she often said things that hurt people's feelings without realizing it.

"It's ok Sheba… I just don't know what to do about Felix!"

"Well… he doesn't have to know when you and Isaac are together…"

"But if he finds out, he'll kill Isaac! I found him not ten minutes ago with his hand around Isaac's throat!"

"Oh! That doesn't sound like Felix at all!"

Jenna was nearly in tears by now. Sheba noticed this, and hugged her friend to comfort her.

"There, there Jenna… I'm sure there's a way to make Felix approve of Isaac."

She sniffed. "You really think so, Sheba?"

"Of course. I did mind read him too, you know…" Sheba chuckled deviously.

Jenna laughed out loud. She knew Sheba would have a plan.

"All right, now here's what you have to do…"

Jenna felt Sheba at her ear, whispering her plan in Jenna's ear. She frowned, would this work?

"Trust me, Jenna. He will totally respect Isaac after this!"

"But what if he gets hurt?"

"It's the only way."

Jenna thought for a second, then sighed. Sheba would know best, of course. She quickly thanked her best friend, and ran off to think of a plan.

Isaac sat in his room, with Ivan sitting next to him. Ivan was being filled in about the past day's events, via mind read. Isaac was resting up, and was feeling almost completely better by the time Ivan was done. Isaac would have laughed at Ivan's wondrous expression if he didn't have a furry animal running wild in his head. In the end, Ivan was smiling, because he knew how Isaac felt about Jenna. It was no secret among the guys who everyone liked. Isaac also knew that Ivan was crazy about Sheba, even though Ivan denied it heatedly. But that story was for another time. Ivan sat there, thinking about what to do.

"Any ideas on how I can get Felix to approve of me, Ivan?

"I'd say the only thing you can do is beat him in a fight. He would only approve of someone who could protect his sister with their life."

"He's a year older than me; he'd probably whoop my butt."

"You have to try Isaac, or let Jenna go forever. I know Garet likes Jenna, and he's bound to find a way to make her like him over you soon."

Of course, that last sentence worried Isaac a lot more than fighting Felix did. He decided to do a little extra training with Ivan today, to see if he couldn't learn from the smaller boy's swiftness.

"Ivan, could you help me get faster? There's no way I can beat him if he can run around me 5 times before I'm done swinging." He chuckled at his own little joke.

"Sure Isaac, I know the perfect place."

The boys ran downstairs, Isaac following Ivan to a place the smaller boy thought would be the perfect place to train. They arrived in the forest after a few minutes solid running.

"Okay, now that we've warmed up, time for the training."

Isaac may have been slow, but he wasn't weak. The jog hadn't tired him out at all. Although, he did get a little pale in the face when he learned Ivan's training style.

"You have GOT to be kidding me… We're tree-hopping?"

"That's how I train. Trust me, You'll be a lot faster if you can manage this without using psynergy!"

Isaac sighed, flush with fear. Ivan ran and seemed to just glide up the tree. Isaac took the easy route, and leaped at the tree, his hands gripping one of the middle branches of the tree. Once he had swung himself onto a branch and steadied himself, Ivan jumped. Isaac followed, at a much slower pace. He jumped as fast as he dared, while still keeping Ivan in sight. No matter how fast he went, Ivan always seemed to get farther away. Soon, Isaac was forced to jump with only one foot, leaping from one tree to the next with no delay in between. He grinned, thinking he had started to get the hang of it… Until he fell off. Ivan leaped back to find Isaac on the ground, groaning. Isaac glared at Ivan, but reluctantly hopped back onto the offending tree. Ivan didn't even wait until Isaac had swung himself onto a branch, he was already off. Isaac knew the drill, leaping from tree to tree, always trying to go faster, to catch up with Ivan. Step after step, he seemed to settle into a rhythm… The trees seemed to pass as a blur behind him, Ivan stopped gaining distance. Isaac pushed himself harder, leaping with more force with every step. Ivan started getting closer. The trees started to crack with the force of his jumps. Suddenly, Ivan stopped, and Isaac was forced to leap to the ground and roll to stop in time. Breathing heavily, he looked up at Ivan. Ivan was nearly falling off the tree with laughter. When Ivan had calmed down sufficiently, he told Isaac that they had reached the halfway point. They would turn around and head back now. Isaac decided to take a chance.

"Hey Ivan, wanna race?"

"You're on!"

They both leaped to the next tree, Isaac from the ground. On the count of three, they would start running. One… Two… Three! Isaac leaped to the next branch as fast as he could, Ivan jumping just as hard. Of course, Ivan got an early lead, being much less heavy and clumsy as his taller friend. But Isaac wasn't about to let Ivan show him up. He started using his arms to propel himself from trunk to trunk. Ivan couldn't keep up the pace, and started to fall back. Isaac raced past him, seeing Vale up ahead. Ivan looked stricken, but accepted defeat. He slowed to a more leisurely pace, and Isaac hopped to the ground.

"Winner! All RIGHT!"

"Nice job Isaac. You seem to have the hang of it. Of course, you're stronger than me, and can jump harder. Good luck with Felix."

"Thanks, Ivan. Thanks for everything."

"No problem Isaac. See ya tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

Ivan ran off, probably to find Sheba. Isaac stretched his tired muscles. Later, he would challenge Felix. Then they would see who's weak.

Jenna sat at the river. She could think of no possible way to make Isaac fight Felix without telling him how she felt first. It seemed hopeless. She would never willingly ask her brother for help, he would all too gladly do it… perhaps even try to kill Isaac in the fight! No… there seemed to be no way out of her predicament. She sighed, and decided to head to Isaac's house. If she couldn't find a way to make them fight, at least she would find a way to make them talk. She walked to Isaac's house thinking about what she would say. 'Hi Isaac, let's go talk to Felix?' No… that would be too open. 'Isaac, can we walk for a bit? I wanna talk about you and Felix.' No… There was no point! It was hopeless. Before she knew it, she was in front of his house, knocking on the front door. Ivan answered it, looking a bit nervous.

"Oh, hey Jenna… What's going on?"

"Hey Ivan, I'm looking for Isaa- wait a second… What's wrong Ivan?"

He was starting to sweat, she was sure of it…

"Oh, nothing… Me and Sheba were just talking, is all."

"Oh, I'll leave you two alone then… Have you seen Isaac?"

"Yeah, I was training with him earlier… I think he went off to talk to Felix."

Oh no!

"Thanks Ivan. Good luck on your 'date'!"

"Jenna! It is NOT a date!"

"Whatever you say, lover boy."

She turned and ran down the path, laughing silently at the couple. She never knew Ivan felt that way about Sheba, although it did make sense. They were both Jupiter Adepts, how could they not be attracted to each other? Then she thought about what he said about Isaac… Felix is probably off beating him up right now! She thought, panicking. She raced off to the forest, hoping to stop the battle before someone got killed. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that Isaac was doing just what she had wanted him to do ten minutes ago. She reached the clearing, watching the two boys stare each other down…

Isaac had run off to find Felix as soon as he was feeling better from Ivan's 'training'. His feet had been sore, but the shorter boy had been right. He felt a lot faster than he had been that morning. He ran off, and found Felix at the forest clearing they had been training at.

"Felix."

"Isaac."

"Training?"

"Nope. Just came here to do some laundry. What do you think I'm doing?"

"Cut the crap, Felix. I want to know why you hate me."

"Why I hate you, Isaac? It's not that I hate you… It's that I don't think you're good enough for my sister. She doesn't deserve a guy like you."

"Who would you rather have her with? Garet? He may be strong, but I don't think he's the ideal guy in brains."

"True, you beat him on that. I just don't think that either of you are good enough for her."

"Then let me be the first to prove you wrong."

Isaac drew his sword, enjoying the quiet rasp of his sword coming out of its sheath. Felix seemed to have been waiting for this moment, leveling his blade at Isaac without a moment's hesitation. Isaac saw that he was impressed, although he tried to hide it. Felix charged at him, but he seemed slower than Isaac remembered him being. He sidestepped out of the way at the last second, parrying the intended slice without effort. Felix turned, and slashed again, this time at his head. Isaac parried, and kicked him in the chest. Felix was sent flying, but landed on his feet after a flip in midair. Felix charged again, but this time he did not strike. Instead, Isaac heard Felix shout something as he crashed into him.

"Stone Spire!"

Isaac was pushed backwards into a wall of stone spires. Felix then yelled:

"Quake Sphere!"

Isaac chuckled at the weaker spell, and easily backflipped onto the spire as the ground rippled below him. Isaac jumped, landing behind Felix. The dark haired boy flinched as Isaac shouted:

"GRAND GAIA!!"

The dark haired boy was caught in a landslide of boulders, beating him to a pulp. When the spell faded, Felix was on the ground, coughing blood. Isaac saw he wouldn't let up, though. Felix got up, saying:

"You'll pay for that."

"Put it on my tab."

The bruised boy charged at him again, and Isaac could barely keep his blows from breaking his guard. Slash after slash, Isaac was forced backwards. Isaac waited until Felix attempted another overhead swing, when he sidestepped, yelling:

"Spire!"

A single cone of rock propelled towards the dark haired opponent. Isaac then went on the attack, shouting whatever popped into his head.

"Clay Spire! Quake! Gaia! Spire! Earthquake! Quake Sphere!!"

The spells shot off, just narrowly missing their intended target. Felix seemed to just leap out of danger at the last second. Frustrated, Isaac forced himself to cool down. Where was Felix now? Felix, seeing the spells stop, had come on the attack, running towards him with a word on his lips:

"Grand Gaia!!"

Isaac took a chance… The blond haired adept leaped over his opponent, shoving the dark haired boy in the back upon landing. The rockslide halted, some rocks falling back to the earth with jaw-cracking force. Felix spun around slashing the air where Isaac had been. He had ducked down, blocking the attack, and sending another back with blinding speed.

His sword thrust Felix's sword out of the way, and spun in the air, aimed for Felix's head.

"ISAAC! STOP!!"

A girl's voice rang out in the clearing, stopping the blade an inch from Felix's neck. Felix fell to his knees, whispering to himself:

"Impossible… Isaac was never that fast… How could he move that quickly? His psynergy… unbelievable…"

Isaac turned around to find Jenna running at him. He was unprepared, as his childhood sweetheart hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear:

"Isaac… Isaac you beat Felix! He will have to accept us now! Isaac, I love you… Felix just HAS to let us be together now!"

Isaac stood there stunned. He shook off the feeling, and embraced his crush back. He told Jenna of how lost he was that day she was taken, of how he had promised himself to bring her back… He told her of how happy he was when he found she was safe at Jupiter Lighthouse, of how angry he was at the monsters who dared attack her. He told her that he would never leave her side again. He heard Felix get up behind them. They turned to look at him, and saw him watching them, smiling.

"I give, Isaac. You win. Make her happy, or you bet I'll be back to make you suffer."

At that, the dark haired adept walked off, leaving the new couple alone.

This story is dedicated to IvanGaret on the Gamefaq's Golden Sun boards, for requesting the story and giving me the inspiration to write. I hope you like it.


	4. Legacy of Dragons

Legacy of Dragons

Legacy of Dragons

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden sun, nor its characters, nor its creators, nor do I own Nintendo, nor its workers, nor its money. If I did, we would have seen numerous new Golden suns by now.

The freezing wind of the north whipped around the 9 bodies at the lighthouse aerie. A dark haired figure stood prominently at the head of the pack, holding a gleaming fiery gem into the sky. Time seemed to stop as the figure stood still as a statue, working up the courage to thrust the gem into the aerie. Karst… The Proxian girl had fallen in the lighthouse, frozen with cold… clinging to the last dregs of life. The boy shivered involuntarily, not because of the wind. But because of the girl he had left behind, freezing to death in the lighthouse. He remembered another time with that girl, in another lighthouse. At another aerie.

"Exactly! That means it's time to die, Felix!"

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Now prepare for the end!"

The Proxian team had rushed towards him and his trusted peer, Piers. He remembered shouting to him:

"Piers, take Agatio!"

They had split, attacking each of their adversaries one-on-one. He had left his partner to Agatio because he had not wanted to kill the red headed Proxian girl in front of him. Without warning, the girl rushed at him, screaming:

"Death Scythe!"

He had ducked, the scythe sweeping overhead of him. He remembered slashing his Phaeton's Blade at the girl, holding back slightly. The blade had smacked into the grip of her scythe. The girl had smiled, shoving him backwards, as she screamed:

"Fiery Blast!"

He cried out as his skin burned with fire. Karst's eyes gleamed with pleasure at the sight of his pain. Next to him, he could see Piers having a contest of strength with Agatio out of the corner of his eye. Piers' blade was held between Agatio's palms, as both fought to push the blade one way or the other. Felix yelled as he looked back at Karst:

"Odyssey!"

He summoned blades to pierce her armour, as he rushed in and slammed a Ragnarok into her chest. The girl stepped back, and Agatio did the same when they heard a voice behind them.

"Felix!"

Jenna had come behind them. Felix and Piers rushed back to battle, as Jenna stood back and healed them from a distance. Karst's scythe sweeped unpredictably, and Felix was kept busy deflecting the blade from himself. He heard Agatio shouting nearby:

"Rising Dragon!!"

Felix felt himself being crushed inside a fiery dragon's maw. The blaze scorched him, and he could see Piers attacking Karst while Agatio was occupied. He fell to the ground, winded, as Sheba ran up behind them.

"Jenna!"

"Another one? Agatio, we're rapidly being outnumbered!"

"It's too late to flee now! We have to keep fighting!"

They rushed back into the fight. Agatio immediately shouted:

"Rolling Flame!"

They were burned, but kept on fighting. Next to him, Piers was slashing wildly with his sword. Agatio was forced to block every blow with his arms, which were becoming bruised badly from the blows. Felix was on the attack, stabbing ferociously with his sword. Karst was falling back. He wanted to end it, without harming the girl in front of him too bad, as a bolt of lightning struck her. She fell back to the ground, and Felix seized the opportunity. His blade was screaming in his ear, as he was shouting:

"Light Surge!!"

Rays of light shone upon the girl in front of him, brightening her harsh features to show the beauty behind the mask for one fateful second before she slammed into the harsh bricks of the aerie. Karst was out for the count. Piers suddenly fell behind him, as Agatio shouted:

"Rising Dragon!!"

Piers rose behind him in the maw of a fiery dragon. Felix was overcome with rage, shouting frantically:

"Piers, NO!!"

The dark haired boy charged at Agatio, slashing wildly with the Phaeton's Blade. He could be heard at times, screaming out:

"Mother Gaia! Clay Spire! QUAKE SPHERE!!"

Agatio collapsed in front of him, to fall next to his partner. Felix stood in front of him, eyes blazing with frozen flame, as Alex warped in behind them. As he arrived, Felix took the opportunity to secretly heal Karst a bit:

_Potent Cure…_

His mind returned to the present in a flash, as he found himself throwing the star into the beacon. His parents were beside him, dying. If they were here, would they approve of his choice? The beacon was lit, and they prepared to leave when they learned of the danger of the lighthouse. Isaac was preparing a Retreat spell, and Felix was about to when he remembered Karst… dying down there in the tower. He told his friends to join in Isaac's circle, as Felix ran back to the teleport circle, shouting:

"Teleport!"

His body was whisked away back to the corresponding circle. He raced down the steps, flying through doors as the lighthouse itself seemed to shake and sway. He raced into the room where Karst and Agatio lay, their lifeblood pooling onto the bricks. Agatio lay there, motionless. He was dead. He feared what he would see as he looked at Karst.

"Felix… you came back! Is the lighthouse lit?"

He was stunned, as he looked at Karst's recovery. The lighthouse had rejuvenated her, carrying her back from Death's doorstep. He replied in a shaky voice:

"Yes, Karst… I'm glad you're alive."

"You fool! The lighthouse could crumble at any second and you run back for a weakling like me?"

"I couldn't let you die, Karst."

"I would die a legend! A legend among the village of Prox, of how the two Dragons fought for their people and… failed."

The dark redheaded girl in front of her started sobbing uncontrollably. Felix was there, hugging her, telling her that she had done all she could. Before she could object, he formed the psynergetic rings to perform the retreat spell. They were outside the lighthouse before Karst could blink.

"Come on, Karst. Let's go back to the village."

He carried her all the way back to Prox in the freezing cold wind. That day, legends were born about the boy who had saved their village's savior. The soldiers at the gate gasped audibly as they saw a ragged looking boy carry back their most powerful adept back to them. Felix was glad they could not see how red his face was, holding the girl he had had a crush on ever since he had seen her three years ago in Prox. The girl who had called him a weakling, who had insisted on Saturos putting him through the strongest tests to prove himself. Felix didn't care. He loved that cold, unfeeling girl who would crush him mercilessly in training. He carried her all the way back to the house where his parents had resided, placing her in a bed with almost the entire village behind him. As he lay Karst down, he felt a shudder race through his body, forcing him to collapse on the floor. His task was done, he deserved to rest.

He awoke with Karst sitting next to him, looking down at him with more care he had ever seen her show before. That is, before she saw him wake and shifted into another unfeeling expression.

"So the warrior awakes. The town thought you dead."

"So we have something in common…" He coughed out weakly.

Then he saw her do something he never thought she'd do: She smiled. He smiled back, and they sat there, just talking with no interruptions. When he had recovered enough to stand, he was rushed to the mayor's house where the others were waiting. He quickly wiped his blush off his face as he reached the door… She had kissed him on the lips before they'd parted. He had whispered softly as he left the door:

"And the legacy of dragons continues…"


	5. A Flower of Love

A Flower of Love

A Flower of Love

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden sun, nor its characters, nor its creators, nor do I own Nintendo, nor its workers, nor its money…. Heck I don't own anything besides my recently bought Xbox 360 that I bought with my own money :).

The pair walked down the path from Vale, two adepts lost in thought. The one on the right, a dark haired Venus adept named Felix, had volunteered for this journey to escort the left adept to her hometown. The left adept was travelling back to her hometown, wondering how they would greet her. She was, of course, unneeded, because of the Spring of Hermes. The water would heal all illness, and as such Mia the healer would be redundant. She could not bear to see her hometown again if it were attacked or ransacked though. The girl let out a sigh, barely audible, but loud enough for her companion to take notice.

"Is something troubling you, Mia?

"It's… nothing Felix. Do not worry about me, I'm fine."

"Mia, I would know when someone's worried or troubled. You can tell me."

"It's just… I don't know why I'm even bothering to go back. They don't need me… The Water of Hermes has replaced me…" she sniffed, on the verge of tears.

The dark haired adept held the aqua-haired adept tightly, comforting her. In truth, seeing the girl break down had made Felix break down as well. His comforting words rang hollow, as he himself was feeling the same feeling of restlessness, albeit for a different reason. He felt Mia calm down, and put on a reassuring face before looking into her eyes. Mistake. Mia's crystal clear eyes reflected back to him, showing himself as she saw him: dark, mysterious, brooding… Silent tears fell from his eyes as he led her on to the road again.

Mia felt slightly better from Felix reassurances, and was starting to feel hopeful for a village that would welcome her back. She had almost convinced herself that everything would be alright, when she heard a sniffle from her companion.

"Felix?"

"Yes, Mia?"

"Are you alright? You seem sad…"

"It's nothing… I just… nothing, don't worry about me."

Of course, her caring nature would not take no for an answer. She ran up and held his hand, looking into his eyes. She asked again, with genuine concern. She did not even question what had gotten into her to run up and hold his hand.

"You can tell me, Felix. Is something the matter?"

"It… You… Mia, we are feeling the exact same feeling right now. You're feeling abandoned, unneeded by your people… And I, I-I feel the same. The village never treated me like they treated the others when I came back. To them, I was a traitor. I stayed because, well, Jenna was still there to be protected, but I could never bring myself to come back to the people. It's just… I feel useless, not being able to do anything."

Mia was shocked… That they would both be feeling the exact same feeling. She smiled, realizing why he had gone on this quest. She bade them walk some more, and asked him to let it all out. They talked for hours on end, and by the time the day was waning, they could see the Goma Range in the distance. Unfortunately, misfortune chose that moment to strike. Bandits surrounded them, waving scimitars, spears, short swords, any and every sort of weapon they could think of was somewhere in the crowd of bandits. Mia and Felix stood back to back, circling to face the circle of bandits.

"Oy! If you want to live, lay down yer arms, and get on the ground. NOW!"

Behind her, she could hear the dark haired boy's heartbeat steady, and could feel him relax.

"You won't live to regret that mistake, whoever you are."

Mia closed her eyes, releasing energy she hadn't used since their journey ended months ago.

_Glacier… Ice Missile…_

The battle was over in a flash, if it could be called that. Several bandits were caught in an ice tomb, and several others were impaled by crystalline spears. Behind her, he could hear Felix shouting out as he drew his Gaia Blade:

"QUAKE SPHERE!!"

She could feel his left hand tighten around her, shielding her from the massive earthquake, radiating from their feet. In seconds, it was over, and they were standing at the epicenter of a scene of death. They decided to keep moving, heading farther towards Goma range as fast as they could. She stole glances at him along the way, and she wasn't sure because of the dark, but she could swear he was smiling.

Felix felt better than he had in months. He finally was able to release the tension that had been building inside of him since they returned to Vale. He could indeed, start smiling again. He hadn't smiled for years, thinking of it as a sign of weakness. But now, he finally had a purpose. They reached the Goma Range by dawn, to their relief. They settled down for a rest. A twitch of his hand, and stone spires impaled themselves onto the ground, giving them a perfect place to sit and rest. He wasn't sure, but he could swear from time to time, that his companion was looking at him. But always, when he gazed at her after one of these feelings, she was looking away. He sighed, what was he thinking. He was a dark, taciturn kind of guy. An Angel like her would never fall for a guy like him. He stood up, motioning for her to follow him into the cave. He led her through without a hitch. Upon exiting the cave, they headed north, towards the light of the Mercury beacon. The air grew colder, and his aqua haired companion held onto him tightly for warmth. He wouldn't let her know, but every time she cuddled up to him for warmth, he felt a shock run through his body; tingling every fibre of his being. He would always shrug her off, saying:

"Hey! You're crushing me! Cut it out, cut it out!"

She would always squeeze him tighter, and he felt one of those rare smiles coming on every time. Suddenly, his companion stopped him, motioning for him to wait here.

She had noticed a plant by the side of the road, and held him back. She remembered being told stories of how the plant would make two people fall in love if they stayed by one. She researched it, and found that the plant's pollen is something resembling a pheromone. It reached the same effect, making boys rush to love in an instant. She made Felix stay behind, as she went ahead and checked to make sure the plant was real. Unbeknownst to the dark haired boy behind her, she took two vials out of the folds of her dress and dipped a small amount of pollen into each. The healing waters inside each vial shimmered, as a pink color started to appear. She hid them again, and walked back, having confirmed that the plant was dangerous. Despite his questions, she would only say that the plant released a substance that was dangerous. She made up a lie that Imil citizens were immune, but it was poison to outsiders. She made them take a wide detour, and then they continued their trek. They reached the cave by nightfall, and passed through it easily. She smiled, as she saw the snowy forests of her homeland. She heard Felix speak behind her:

"It's this cold in the summer?"

"Always, Felix."

"Don't you ever warm things up a bit here?"

"Nope."

She answered playfully, skipping along the snowy path. She felt her inner child rush out to play in the snow, but Mia held herself in check. She led Felix all the way to Imil in the snow. It was dawn when they reached the snow filled town. She led Felix to the sanctum, where she lived. It was a cave to the side of the town. She settled in again, sighing. The pair she left here to care for the town weren't home. Felix settled down on one of the benches, trying to catch a nap when he could. Mia did the same, and they slept till nightfall. Mia woke up with a start, to find the cave empty except for her and Felix. Surprisingly, with the moonlight from the cave's mouth, she could see Felix still fast asleep.

"How does he do it?" she whispered to herself.

She crept up to him and watched as he slept. He would never like her… She saw him jump after Sheba at the lighthouse; it was obvious that he loved her… She took one of the vials from her dress and stared at it. No… she couldn't. He would never forgive her. If he swallowed this… He would love her, surely… but it wouldn't be real love. She sighed, replacing the vial back to the folds of her dress. Felix chose that time to wake, unfortunately, and saw the vial. He looked at her questioningly. She would have to tell him now.

"So uh… Mia… What's the potion for?"

"Er, um… uh… It's a…."

"Mia… what is it?"

"It's, well… a… love potion." She squeaked out those last words, blushing a furious red.

Felix was stunned… Mia liked him? He sat up, shaking off his sleepyness. Sleep could come later, for now…

"Mia, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Er, well… Felix… no, I can't…"

"Mia, do you like me?"

He could see her having a sudden interest in the cave floor, with a face as red as a tomato. He let out another rare smile, asking:

"So, what… you were going to feed me the potion in my sleep?"

"Well um… yes… that is, I was going to until…"

"Until… what?"

"Well… Its just that I don't think that it would be true love…"

"Ill be the judge of that!"

She had taken the vial out again, and he snatched it from her. She really did like him… So, he guessed he could give her a nice day with a lapdog for a change. He smiled, and glugged down the potion without hesitation.

Mia was shocked… and incredibly confused. Here she was, watching a boy guzzle down a potion that would make him fall head over heels for a girl right in front of him. Knowingly. She didn't understand it, but of course she didn't care. By drinking the potion, she knew that he cared for her as well. He watched his face as he finished the potion in one gulp.

"Huh… I wonder…"

"Huh?"

He wasn't adoring her like he should be… Well, he was still adoring her, she could see that… But not like he had just taken a love potion.

"I guess… The potion doesn't do anything to people already in love…"

"Felix, do you mean that?"

"Yes Mia, I do."

"It's not the potion talking, I hope…"

"We could always listen to it if we wanted to…"

She laughed at his joke, and climbed into his bench; embracing the man she had grown to love through their journey. She smiled, thinking that Sheba could really use a vial of this potion. And that was the last thing she thought before they started kissing.


	6. Who Says Opposites Attract?

Who Says Opposites Attract

Who Says Opposites Attract?

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, nor its characters, nor its creators, nor its money, nor its workers, I only own the computer that I'm writing on now.

"Jenna! It is NOT a date!"

"Whatever you say, lover boy."

Ivan slammed the door closed. What did Jenna know… he sighed, sitting back down at the table with Sheba. The blond Jupiter adept across from him giggled slightly, tossing her hair to a more comfortable position. Ivan found himself staring, then quickly looking away, blushing furiously. He couldn't see, but Sheba had noticed this and started giggling more.

"So, what were we talking about?"

The question seemed to come out of the blue, and Ivan was startled out of his embarrassment. He replied quickly, for he had always been a fast thinker.

"Well… we were talking about how our element is the best, of course."

"Ah… right. Care to elaborate?"

"Well, every other element seems to bow to ours, don't you think?"

"How so, Ivan?"

"Well, Fires are put out by the wind blowing, wind and water work together to form hurricanes. Of course, wind erodes great mountains and scoops up sand to form sandstorms. They're just jealous of us!"

Ivan noticed her smile, which was extra pretty today. He secretly longed to caress her golden curls…

"Ivan?"

A voice tugged him back to reality. He forced himself to stop thinking about her. It was obvious who she liked… And what girl wouldn't like the mysterious dark haired Venus adept. Pah! Opposites attract, indeed.

"Yeah, Sheba?"

"It's just… you seemed to space out a bit there."

"Oh, it's nothing. Pay it no mind, I'm just concerned for Felix and Mia. They're leaving tomorrow, and I'm afraid Felix will go ballistic."

"Why?"

"Well, Isaac is about to tear Felix up! And he will finally accept him and Jenna after that. And of course, Jenna is the only thing keeping him sane right now, you know."

"Oh, right."

He sighed, whew. She bought it. Wait, she was talking again, he strained his ears to listen…

"So uh… Do you ever think about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, whenever you space out like that, you always turn out to be thinking of Jenna, or Felix, or Isaac, or… That weird girl in the Item shop that looks the same in every single town!"

Crap… He supposed it would have to fall through sometime. He scrambled to think of something, because he knew she had trapped him

"Well, uh… sure I think about you Sheba! It's just… I don't do it whenever you're around…"

"Why is that?"

Because I'm too busy looking at you!!

"Because we're talking, and I focus more on what you're saying rather than you yourself."

"Oh…"

She seemed to deflate a bit… Not at all like the proud girl he had seen on top of the lighthouse. Not like the girl he had given up his prized possession for… He wanted to apologize, to say what he really thought, but she had already left the house, crying her eyes out.

"Sheba! Wait!"

"Oh, so now that I'm gone you start thinking about me?!"

Her voice carried back to the house. Darn it all! She was crying because of his stupidity! He sighed… How did they do it! Jenna and Isaac love each other… For three MONTHS after their journey was over, they'd just look at each other, and BOTH of them knew the other liked them! It was OBVIOUS! If only he would stop being a chicken and let her read his mind… He put his head in his hands, as he brooded over the issue…

Sheba ran all the way back to the inn, crying… Ivan didn't like her… Ivan would never like a girl like her, she was too proud, too conceited. She had always felt herself above everyone, except for Ivan. He was the same element as her, and seemed to understand her better than anyone else ever had! And yet he didn't feel the same about her. They were the same age, same element… they had so much in common, and yet they would never be together. She ran all the way into her room, thrusting herself onto her bed, crying into her pillow. She'd never come out again! She would just lay here until Weyard froze over. Why? Why didn't Ivan like her? It was obvious how she felt about him! Over and over she would spend as much time with him as she could, devoting every second possible to be with him and he just wouldn't get it! She threw her pillow at the door, which chose that second to open. Mia ducked at the last second, letting the pillow-missile sail over her head. Sheba got up and rubbed her red eyes.

"Mia, I'm so sorry, are you ok?"

"Yeah, Sheba, but I could ask the same thing to you! You look like you've been crying your eyes out! What's wrong?"

"It's Ivan… He doesn't like me!"

Of course, this set her bawling again, and she could feel Mia lead her back to her bed, comforting her.

"What did he say?"

"He said that he -sniff- he doesn't think about me when we're together..." she cried, sniffling periodically.

"I'm sure he thinks about you, Sheba. Ivan's just shy, that's all. You are the only Jupiter adept he's ever known besides his sister, it's obvious he cares about you and just doesn't want to show it."

"You really think so, Mia?"

"I know so, Sheba. Now you stop crying and get to bed. It's already dark out."

"Ok, good night Mia. See you when you get back from Imil!"

She fell asleep immediately when she left the room. The next couple of days passed quickly to her, and she could not remember most of them. All she could remember doing was avoiding Ivan at all costs. She didn't want to see him at all. If he wanted to talk to her, he could come find her. If he did, that would prove that he was thinking about her! She would hide in the forest outside vale for most of her day, she remembered. She would just climb a tree, and think. On the second day, she decided to do a little training. She balanced herself on one foot, conjuring three whirlwinds on her palm, and made them twirl in a little circle. All this while thinking about Ivan. If she could have seen herself, she would be amazed at how she pulled this off.

Ivan looked for her every day, intending to apologize. Felix and Mia were gone, of course, so he couldn't ask them. Piers wasn't here, and Isaac and Jenna were busy kissing somewhere. He sighed, wondering where she could be. He decided to do some training. That should calm him down! He walked leisurely to the forest, stretching himself out. When he reached the forest, he glided smoothly to one of the lower branches of the tree. He would do this every day until Felix and Mia came back from their trip to Imil. He couldn't find Sheba, so he might as well do something productive until he could ask Mia where Sheba had gone. When Felix and Mia came back, he saw Felix holding Mia in his arms from his vantage point in the trees. He started chuckling softly, as he slipped silently to the ground. This was going to be fun. He crept up silently behind the couple, waiting for the best possible moment to say quietly:

"What a nice day for a leisurely walk. How much better it must feel to not have to walk at all, huh, Mia!"

He fell onto the ground he was laughing so hard. He couldn't stop even when Felix aimed a Ragnarok to his throat. He couldn't help it! Felix and Mia seemed to be such an unlikely couple, and yet they seemed to be so fit for each other. He calmed down after a few minutes, and raced to catch up with the pair; who had, of course, kept on walking.

"Mia, hold on a sec."

Mia, being the nicest one of the group, stopped; forcing Felix to stop as well.

"Yeah, Ivan?"

"I was wondering if you'd seen Sheba?"

Ivan watched her smile knowingly. She seemed to know what Sheba was doing, and he was hopeful for an answer. His heart fell when she told him she didn't know.

"I'll see you later, Felix. I've gotta go!"

"Okay, Mia. I'll see you tonight."

The couple parted, and Ivan watched them go with suspicion. Where was Mia going? He followed Felix until Mia was out of sight, then backtracked to where she had gone, hopping up one of the trees. Mia was going to find Sheba, he just knew it. Mia walked in the woods for a few minutes, and suddenly stopped at a lone tree, inconspicuous in the forest.

"Come down Sheba!"

"Mia! You're back!"

Ivan nearly jumped as Sheba glided down from the top branches of the tree. So that's where she had been! Wait, they were talking again! He strained his ears to hear the conversation…

"How was your trip?"

"Wonderful! You'll never guess what I found along the way!"

"What? What did you find?"

"A love potion!"

"A love potion? No way! They don't even exist!"

"Yes they do! There's a certain plant that releases a substance that makes guys go crazy for any girl in their vicinity."

"No way!"

"Yeah way!"

"Oh! But I could never do that to Ivan!"

"Well… Here's the trick…"

"Spill it, Mia!"

"Well, it's useless on guys in love. If the guy you give it to loves you, he won't even respond!"

"Well… If I do use it on Ivan, and he does react… If I go along with it, I would be a terrible person. But if I tell him no in that state, the rejection would crush him!"

"Well… I suppose you'll just have to try it and find out."

Ivan was shocked… Sheba liked him too, of that there was no doubt… But his comment before had made her think he didn't like her! Stupid Ivan… He chose that moment to sprint away back to Vale. He had a plan.

Sheba took the vial with the pink liquid, convinced that she would do anything it took to make sure Ivan really loved her. She thanked Mia, telling her she'd try it out tonight. Mia smiled, and said softly:

"Good luck, Sheba."

And when she was out of earshot, Mia also added:

"And you too Ivan, I hope for your sake you love her…"

Sheba ran back to New Vale, thinking of how to give him the potion… She decided that the best way was to do it in his sleep. She went back to the inn, and waited till nightfall. As the moon rose, she crept out of the inn. No one saw or heard anything as she silently walked towards Isaac's house, where Ivan was known to stay. She silently opened the door, making as little sound as possible. She walked in the dark house, using Reveal to guide her way to the stairs. The floor squeaked, and her heart sped up tenfold. She hoped that Ivan wouldn't wake, as she walked up the stairs. She counted the doors, one… two… three! She silently opened the door, making a crack just wide enough for her to slip through. There he was, sound asleep. She crept closer, taking out the vial with the glowing pink liquid. Without hesitation, she poured it down the sleeping boy's throat. She didn't think it odd that he didn't wake. She decided to wait a few seconds for the potion to kick in, and then Mind Read him and see who he was dreaming about. One… two… three.

_Mind Read…_

She thought the spell, casting her mind out towards the sleeping boy.

…

…

…

Nothing. She tried again, with no result. What was going on? She tried to shake the boy awake, only to find that it wasn't Ivan at all! It was just a dummy made to look like Ivan. The door closed. The lights flicked on. It was a trap! She looked around for her captor, to find Ivan, fully dressed, smiling at his devious trap.

"Ivan, I… um… err… This must look extremely awkward…"

"Indeed, Sheba. So, what did you try to put down my throat?"

"Err… uhm… nothing…"

"Because it looked to me like a love potion."

"Um… Yes, it was…"

"So you thought to drug me into loving you."

"No! Only to see if you really loved me!"

"Then why not mind read me and find out, without drugging me."

"Well, I-… Wait… You'll let me?"

"Now's your chance. I wouldn't pass it up."

She cast the spell, blushing slightly… to think that she would finally be allowed into her crush's mind!

_Sheba… I'm sorry I said that about you. The truth is, I'm shy around you because I like you so much, and I'm afraid you don't like me back. But now I'm certain, so… I love you._

She opened her eyes, and stared at the boy now inches from her face. She didn't flinch, even when the boy closed his eyes and kissed her. It felt so… good. She didn't know why the others liked it so much until she felt it herself. She draped her arms around the blond haired boy and pulled him tightly to her, kissing him back. Who says opposites attract? She could plainly see that similarities bind much better than opposites ever could.


	7. Better than a Hot Bath

Insert Title Here

Better than a Hot Bath

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun… no, it's true! NO, NO STOP SPAMMING ME I CAN'T MAKE GOLDEN SUN 3 ANY FASTER!!

Ivan sat down, having the blinding headache that came with using too much psynergy. He observed his surroundings again, for the millionth time that day. He was in a small room in Xian, learning from the native fighters. The small room was called a dojo, and was filled with several fighting technique practicing dummies and various blocks of wood. Ivan was studying the fighter's style of strength, which they called Chi. It was the opposite of his psynergy, in that they were using their bodies as conduits for their power instead of their minds. It was a grueling program, but it was very useful for non-adepts. Many of the fighters even came close to matching Ivan's power, even though he was strengthened by his nine djinn. He rose again to meet the boy opposite him. He was fighting without weapons, trying as hard as he could to summon up energy within his body, instead of using his mind. His opponent, a young child his size, was throwing punches and kicks with the style of Kung Fu. Ivan was blocking and dodging these blows with more effort than he had thought. After dodging a kick that otherwise would have winded him, he grew frustrated, wishing he could be done with this and be back with Jenna again, and his arm then moved without his knowledge nor meaning to. The arm glowed, slamming down onto the boy's leg with brute force that Ivan did not possess. He heard a bone crack, and he called the sparring match to a halt. He knelt down and examined the boy's leg. He could see a bruise already form, and the boy was in obvious agony. Well… he should've been. The boy was sitting there in awe, looking at Ivan with an expression close to wonder. The master of the dojo came over, and asked his student what had happened:

"Boy. What happened?"

"Th- The boy! He used Chi!"

"The boy has the power of Ki. Are you sure there is no mistake?"

"No, master. The boy's arm shined! I do not know if he know what he did!"

"Warrior. Is that true?"

"I-I do not know… I don't remember even doing anything… I saw my arm glow, but I wasn't using psynergy as far as I could tell."

"I will take him to the healing place. When I come back, we will spar. I wish to see your Chi."

Ivan was still in shock. He did not use psynergy, he was sure of it. But the leg was broken, and his arm could not have done it on its own. He looked at it, and saw something different than his psynergy inside of it. His arm would linger in places it had already been, forming phantom images as it moved. The pictures faded in a few seconds, but Ivan saw what was going on. His core character was emitting psynergy, not his mind. Somewhere in his body, there is another source of power like his psynergy, but normally inaccessible. Interestingly, he felt his arm strengthen, as his other muscles relaxed. He remembered the Master telling everyone that his strength of Ki was limitless, but Chi matched his body's strength. Ivan stood up again, walking over to one of the training dummies. He decided to try something out, as he had a theory. He closed his eyes, and dulled his thoughts. He did not access the power in his mind, rather, he started to picture the dummy. He struck out with the arm that had Chi, but did not feel the same sensation as before. He started to punch the dummy with more force, and progressed into a full brawl with his entire body. He would headbutt the dummy every so often between kicking it and striking it with his palms or fist. Then, without warning, his left arm struck again, and in his mind he could see a sudden blaze of light where his arm was. He confirmed his suspicions. He could now see his arm without actually using his eyes. His other muscles relaxed as his hand curled into a fist and slammed into the dummy. Opening his eyes, he could see a smoking hole left where his arm broke through the soft cloth. Behind him, the master had returned just in time to see the spectacle.

"Child! You used Chi!"

"Oh, yes I guess I did… Why can't I stand straight?"

Indeed, his legs started to give out, and he stopped falling with a firm hand under his arm.

"Yes, young warrior. Chi uses your body, while Ki is using the mind, you understand? Your body may transfer energy, but Ki uses stored power, you follow?"

Ivan nodded, understanding now what his body was doing. Chi was nothing more than his body's strength moved from other parts to one part, and solidified. Ivan was limited to whatever his body could withstand moving. He was escorted back to a bed; his master telling him to rest up, for Chi produced massive muscle cramps the first time it is used. Ivan shuddered, remembering the massive headaches he had had the first few times he used psynergy. Ivan was in the middle of a rigorous training schedule set to him by his sister, Hama. She envisioned him fighting with a whole new strength if he learned how to focus Chi with his own psynergy, or Ki. His friends encouraged him, but did not follow. Sheba was going back to Lalivero, with Felix. Mia was headed back to Imil, to check up on the town as well. Jenna, Isaac, and Garet were rebuilding Vale. Piers would join them, after flying his ship to the river and docking it close by. Ivan was left alone in Xian until he started to grasp the power of Chi. He would then go back to train with Hama, who could supposedly teach him to combine his strengths. The next few days were filled with harsh training techniques, designed to bolster his muscle mass and strengthen the channels through which energy could travel. His new sparring partner was the master of the dojo, who would always beat him easily. The duels were always over in a matter of minutes, his arms moving faster than Ivan could comprehend. He would always keep moving, but the master was always faster.

"No, no, young warrior. Stop jumping, and crouch more! You will not stop me, you must _push_ me with your own Chi. You understand?"

"No, I DON'T understand! I can't do this at will!"

"You must learn, young warrior, before you go back to your sibling."

Ivan sighed. The master thought everything was easy to him, but that was because he had been doing it for years. He resolved to teach him a lesson.

"Alright, let's try it again, master."

"If you wish, warrior."

He charged again, with barely a warning. Ivan could see him coming, and pushed his blow to the side of his body. With his momentum still in full force, Ivan jumped over him. As the master turned around, Ivan started running. The master chased him, and was met with an open palm to his chest. He was thrown back slightly, but there was no Chi behind the blow. The master came back with a headbutt, and Ivan was forced to duck. The master's body was thrown over Ivan's shoulder. Ivan jumped into the air, threw in a backflip, and landed on the master's back. His arm was shimmering, copies of the arm lingering as it moved, next to the master's neck.

"Concede, master."

"I give up, young warrior. You have a better grasp on Chi than I thought. You may go home to your sister."

Ivan left the dojo the next day, thanking the students and their master for their help. He apologized for the young boy's leg that he broke, as well. They all waved away his thanks, saying it was the least they could do for such a promising warrior such as himself. Ivan walked through Silk Road late that day, feeling better than he had in years. The training regimen had strengthened his muscles more than he ever thought possible. His arm was as thick as one of his swords was wide. Suddenly, a crushing boulder fell from one of the ledges above him. It landed crushingly upon Ivan, forcing him onto his back. The boulder was crushing him, he knew. Ivan despaired, remembering the boy Hsu they had saved from the same fate. Ivan stopped, remembering his psynergy. He could do this. Summoning his strength, he forced a gale to form above him, a twister forming under the rock. Even with its strength, the boulder only rose slightly, not enough for Ivan to burst free. There was nothing he could do.

Jenna was supervising the boys as they constructed a fence around the pool where the boulder fell into. They could not risk someone falling in and hurting themselves, as the pool was immensely shallow where the boulder lay. Felix took a wooden stake, straight from the pile left to them from the villagers. He set it above its designated spot, waiting for a certain someone to do something.

"Pound!"

And there it was. Jenna pulsed with a small glow of psynergy, as a ghostly fist rose above his stake, and slammed it into the ground. Felix just barely stopped the stake from dropping all the way into the earth, as the spell would have done. Felix was hardening the ground below a certain point, where the stake should stop. It was hard work, and Felix was beginning to tire. They had been at this all morning.

"Come on, Felix. You can't really be tired, right?"

"You try this Jenna! Wait… no, you'll probably burn it!"

Next to him, Isaac laughed, pulling another stake from the pile. They were almost done, and there were only a few more stakes to be pounded in. Felix was now sliding boards into slots punched into the stakes, which was their job the previous day. Two boards per two stakes were enough to make their point, and it didn't take long for Felix to slide the boards in, and find another stake from the pile. Next to him, he heard Jenna again.

"Pound." She sighed, clearly getting bored with her menial task. She was obviously thinking about him again… Jenna had a crush on Ivan, he knew. That little boy was the happiest, most carefree boy they had ever met, and Jenna had liked him ever since Jupiter Lighthouse, where he had fought against Agatio and Karst for their friends lives. Sure, he wasn't the strongest, but he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Felix still wasn't sure whether he approved of his sister's crush, but at least he was off training far away. He could decide what to do before he got back. Jerking away from his thoughts, he took it upon himself to drive his own stake into the ground, letting it fall into a hole, then solidifying the earth around it. It was basically like glue, only better. Isaac took the last two boards from the pile and slotted them into the correct holes.

"All done." Isaac said happily. This venture had only taken half the day, not like yesterday's fiasco.

"A lot easier than punching holes into wood, eh Isaac?"

"You bet!"

"Calm down, boys. We have the rest of the day off, how bout we have some fun?"

Jenna was the mischievous one of the three, but Felix and Isaac were as bored as she was, so they agreed to have a little fun.

"Let's play tag! If you're it, you have to hit one of us with a spell to tag them, got it?"

No sooner had the boys said ok; Jenna had used a simple Fume and shouted:

"Fume! You're it, Isaac!"

Isaac was scorched, and Felix ran away swiftly, melding into the sand.

"No fair! No hiding with psynergy!"

Jenna called out to him, and Felix cursed. He rose out of the sand, and took a Spire to the chest.

"Ha ha! You're it Felix!"

Felix was angered, and summoned a nice Gaia for his sister. Jenna was caught in a rock avalanche in her hiding spot, in one of the branches of a tree. It didn't hurt bad, but of course she was it. After the spell faded, Isaac and Felix were nowhere to be found. She fumed silently, wondering where in Sol the boys could be. Looking around, she saw Isaac's blond hair sticking out behind a barrel. Smiling, she summoned a flare wall. The barrel burst into flames, and behind it she found a broom waiting for her, with a message: "Ha ha! We fooled you! Nya na na nya nya!" How childish! Summoning her strength, she shouted:

"DRAGON FUME! FIND ISAAC AND MAKE HIM PAY!!"

Her dragon complied, shooting off with a burst of flame towards a certain tree. She focused the fire, making sure it would only light the tree Isaac was in, and not the whole forest.

"OW!! JENNAAAAAAA!"

Isaac screamed in pain, his shirt was on fire. Jenna fell to the ground laughing, the sight of Isaac in a burning shirt was just too funny to think of. She ran off once she was done laughing, hiding in the Inn. Neither of them would look here! They hated inns; ever since their journey had ended they had refused to come within three meters of an inn. Jenna hadn't minded so much as them, but pretended to. She knew it would come in handy someday. She bought a room for the next few hours, and saw Isaac running through town, cursing the other two for being such good hiders. Of course, her awesome hiding spot gave her ample time to think about the blond haired wind adept she was so fond of. Of course she had a crush on him! How could she not? Ivan was so cute, and smart, and funny, and he was stronger than the others knew. She had seen what he could do with wind, and noone else knew how hard it was to combine wind and electricity to make a storm. They assumed it was easy, but she had seen him concentrate hard whenever he used a Ray. Of course, Felix was also hiding in the inn. Coincidentally, he was hiding one room over from her. Isaac finally gave up at sundown. He summoned the agreed Grand Gaia in the forest, and the siblings found themselves running into each other in their haste to get downstairs.

"Felix?"

"Jenna? What in Sol are you doing here!?"

"Hiding… like you. I thought you hated Inns!"

"Ditto. I guess it's quite useful to have a good hiding place. Now it's ruined though. Come on, let's go find Isaac."

"Sol yeah!"

They raced out of the inn, letting the innkeeper know that the rooms were now open. They ran to the forest, surprising Isaac by being together.

"What in Sol… Were you both hiding together?!"

"Umm… Yes, although we didn't know it while we were hiding." Jenna explained.

"Where in Sol were you?"

"The Inn." Felix replied this time, laughing with his sister. Ticking off Isaac used to be his favorite pastime as a child. Isaac looked furious.

"Aw, lighten up, Isaac! We got you something!"

Jenna brought out a piece of chocolate, offering it to the enraged Venus adept. Of course, chocolate contains endorphins, which cause minor euphoria when consumed. In Garet terms, they make you happy. Isaac calmed down almost instantly.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Mom's taking a break from making dinner, thank Sol, and Dad is making his super spicy Chili!"

"Where in Sol does your dad get the spices?"

"Well…"

In truth, Isaac was forced to teleport to Xian, Fuchin Temple, and Lama Temple to gather spices for him. It was his secret, and he didn't want anyone else to know the secret to his dad's chili. He loved the stuff, and wanted to learn how to make it himself. He watched him over and over, put something Isaac did not see into the chili when Dad thought he wasn't looking. Someday, he would figure out what it was. They said farewell, and Isaac headed to the center of town. He touched the Psynergy Stone, and formed the teleport spell. It was tough, but the psynergy stone supplied most of the power for this trip. He appeared in front of Fuchin temple, and walked towards the temple next to the waterfall. He leaped through the falls, finding himself inside the cave. This particular spice only grew in dark places, and he headed towards the place where one of the Jupiter djinni had softened the cave floor, allowing this spice to grow. He stored the spice in one of his spare Vials, and teleported again. This time, he appeared outside Xian, and walked to the forest. This spice grew where a Mars djinni had been hiding. The scorched earth north of Xian held rare minerals in its soil, and the spice grew plentiful there. He added the spice to his Vial, mixing it with the other spice inside. This chili was going to be great. He headed down to Silk Road, not bothering to teleport to Lama temple. This would be easy enough to walk to, and he didn't want to waste psynergy. As he walked through the pass, he saw Ivan being crushed by a rock. He stood by, waiting to see if the boy could shake it off by himself. A small tornado formed on either side of him, and Isaac could see the stone being lifted slightly. It would not be enough, though, and Isaac could see that. Still, he waited to see if Ivan had learned Chi and could do something now… Ivan concentrated, maintaining the whirlwinds. Ivan raised his hand, which was flat and not balled into a fist. He brought it down upon the rock… And hurt his hand.

"OW! Grr…"

Ivan growled, clearly ticked off. He raised his hand again, and this time Isaac could see strength coursing into it. It was not psynergy… It was nothing like anything he had ever seen. As it moved, it left phantom images behind it, and the rock cracked into pieces under the force of the blow. It was a good thing it did, for Ivan's chest could no longer support the rock with his weakened abdominal muscles. Ivan sat up, and rubbed his chest where the rock had rested. Isaac could see blue/purple splotches across his chest. There may have been a broken bone. He ran forward to help the boy sitting there.

"Isaac? What- where did you come from?!"

"I was watching you as you broke that boulder. That was phenomenal! How in Sol did you maintain the Whirlwind spell?!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME?!"

"I wanted to see what you can do. Now stop yelling or I won't be able to focus and heal you!"

Ivan was clearly ticked, but he stopped long enough for Isaac to focus and send tendrils of Venus psynergy into the skin, healing the broken bone and bruised skin.

"… Thank you… HELP ME NEXT TIME, OR SOL HELP ME I WILL…"

Isaac laughed, knowing exactly what Ivan would do. Ivan got up, and started walking. Isaac followed him in silence. Ivan would surely ask why he was there, in a matter of time. Three… Two… One.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm gathering certain herbs that I need for something. I'd rather not tell you what it is, Family secret."

Ivan glowed, and Isaac nudged the probe from his mind like he would a fly. He had learned a few things too, and Sheba had tried to read his mind so much that he figured out how to form a sort of shield with his psynergy, which could pulse and shove off the Mind Read easily. He was going to teach it to his children someday, if he ever had any, but not to anyone else. He would let others learn by themselves.

"Grr… Where did you learn how to repel a Mind Read?!"

"I figured it out one time when Sheba tried to read my mind. Suddenly, she was thrown off mid thought, so I learned to replicate what I was doing at the time."

"What were you doing?"

"My secret." Isaac grinned, knowing he was infuriating Ivan to his max.

"Whatever." Isaac stopped grinning, knowing that Ivan had just shrugged his comment off like it was nothing. Oh well, he knew he would not be goaded himself.

"So… how did training go?"

"Well… It was horrible at first, but then I accidentally used it without help."

"So… what happened?"

"I broke my sparring partner's leg."

"Ouch… That must have hurt really badly."

"I wouldn't know… I don't have any healing psynergy, so I cannot feel an Empathy-thingy you were telling me about. Anyway, he just thought it was cool that I used Chi."

"… So… What now?"

"I don't know… I guess I'll train with my sister for a while…"

"For how long?"

"Until I learn what I'm supposed to… I guess. Why?"

"Well… Jenna misses you."

"She does?"

"Noone else can tell, but I just know she misses you. She keeps thinking about you all the time, Sheba tells me. And sometimes she just goes off in the middle of a job, freezing in whatever pose she had just been in. She gets that look every single time she's thinking about someone she cares about."

"… You're kidding me, aren't you. You know I like her, and you're telling me this just to play with me…"

"You really think I'd do that?"

"You think I thought you'd leave a friend with a boulder on his chest just to see if he could shove it off himself?"

"Fair point. No, I'm not kidding you… Wait, you like Jenna too?"

Ivan looked like a tomato. Isaac stopped; looking at Ivan's reddening face with a look of pure delight. This was going to be so much fun…

"Isaac. If you tell her…"

"Why would I? That would ruin all of the fun!"

Ivan suddenly glowed. Isaac was thrown into a tree trunk with crushing force.

"Augh! Dammit Ivan!"

"You are going to swear that you will tell noone about this, got it?!"

"I… Can't… Breathe… cough" Isaac was being crushed with the force of the gale. He managed to nod slightly, and was released. Isaac fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"There's more where that came from if you tell anyone. See you around."

Ivan walked off feeling happier than Isaac had ever seen him. Apparently, seeing him in pain felt good to Ivan.

"Dammit… I'm going to make him pay. I may not be able to tell anyone, but I can think it all I want."

He sat up, giggling like a schoolgirl. This was going to be the best payback ever. He reached Lama temple not very late in the day, but still close to sundown. This spice grew under a chest only visible and solid when seen with Reveal. So of course, he could bend down and take some spice into his Vial, then teleport back home. Chili that night would be the best he had ever tasted.

Ivan walked past his friend gasping for air without a care in the world. When he was out of sight, this carefree manner was replaced by a mask of emotions, most of which were anxiety. He was nervous about coming back to Lama temple, after he knew full well he had not mastered Chi yet… He was nervous that Isaac would indeed, find some way to communicate in forms other than telling someone, and… Nervous about the reaction Jenna would have when she was told. After all, she occupied most of his thoughts when he was not training. When he was sleeping, he dreamed about her. When he ate, he imagined her right beside him. When he rested between sparring, she would sit right next to him and make him feel better. He knew he liked her, but he just didn't know if the hot-tempered auburn haired girl liked him back at all. Lost in his thoughts, his mind did not register the fact that he had arrived at Lama Temple until he was inside the doorway.

"Is… Something wrong, Ivan?"

"Uh… Uh, n- no. Nothing's wrong, sister. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Indeed, I could see that. Got some girl on your mind, no doubt." His sister smirked, clearly having seen this before.

"Did you read my mind, Hama?"

"Didn't need to, little brother. I've seen that look on people before. I demand that before I teach you to control your new power, you deal with the person that is so clearly controlling your thoughts right now. Only then, will I teach you the new technique."

"But, Hama! It is nothing to be concerned about!"

"No, Ivan. No buts. You will tell this girl how you feel, or you will not learn from me."

Ivan was infuriated at his sister. Ivan never dreamed that she would take control of his life like this.

"Why?"

"Because. Love interferes with all parts of the body. Before you master Chi, you must experience love, as it is the final test. You must have been thinking of her, as you first used it."

Ivan remembered, he had thought about her right before he broke that boy's leg. And when he was fighting the master, he remembered thinking how Jenna would have been proud of him. He conceded, giving his word that before he came back, he would have talked to her. Hama set him off with her blessing. When he was gone, Hama would be inside, laughing.

"So. Ivan did indeed find someone to care for. I must say that I am surprised. He is so introversive… Mind Read does that to people, I guess. I wonder if this is the same Jenna that Isaac and Garet were chasing..." For, indeed, Hama had read Ivan's mind as he had stood there. Ivan had no clue as his mind was completely off target. Ah, daydreams. Hama wished she could have led the life Ivan had… Contigo was not a place to be a child if you were an adept. If you let it loose, people might think that you were something that was strange, and therefore something to be feared. Hama had to always be on guard, to not use her powers in front of the townsfolk. She had never been truly a child, allowed to do what she would. She was glad Ivan could at least live this part of his life.

Ivan walked through the Lamaken Desert, finding one oases after another with Reveal. He was one of the only ones who could cross the desert, besides Mars adepts. He passed the desert with no trouble, and headed toward Kalay. He would rest there, for a night, before turning north for Vale. There, Jenna would be. He would have to tell her how he felt about her… No matter if Isaac had already or not. Doubtless he was already telling someone without breaking his promise. Isaac was as smart as Ivan himself, although he would not admit it to his face. The night in Kalay was paradise compared to what he had endured for so long. Hammet and Layana treated him like royalty while he was there, despite his protests. He did not want to be treated like anything but a guest. Nevertheless, he got a suite as grand as Hammet's himself. He sighed, knowing he could not change their minds. He took a bath, a long bath, as he loved the hot water. It gave him time to think, and rest, and relax all at the same time. Nothing else ever gave him the same feeling of comfort. When he was clean, he would lie on the bed, and relax more. The next day, he set out feeling better than he had for months. He travelled north, past the bridge that had been recently fixed, and into Vault. He paused for slight rest, before continuing on towards Vale. On the way, he was stopped by the Thieves.

"Oh. You again."

"And so it's the little weird boy from Vault. And without his playmates too! Oh, this is going to be good."

The lead bandit glowered at him, and Ivan could feel the hostility. Of course, he would spare no time for this, and unsheathed his Tisiphone Edge with a flourish.

"Well? It's your move."

Indeed it was, as the thieves charged at him. Ivan hopped over the first one, summoning a burst of air below him to push the thief to the ground. Landing, he summoned a Spark Plasma to ensure unconsciousness. The second thief attacked him while his back was turned. With Reveal, Ivan saw it coming. His arm shot up in a flash, snatching the knife right from the man's hand. His other arm glowing with Chi, he smashed the arm into the thief's stomach, driving all air from his lungs in the process. The leader was standing back, watching his flunkies fall to Ivan like they were nothing. He leveled his Bandit's Sword. This would not be over without a fight. Ivan took no notice, walking at him with purpose and determination. The bandit should have fled, but he was stupid. The sheriff from Vault never did find the bandit's body. He didn't believe the thieves tale about the boy sticking one finger in his stomach and driving all of the air out. Ivan wasn't that strong! He locked the pair up, who were then treated by a psychiatrist behind bars for the rest of their lives. Ivan, of course, had been well on his way to Vale by that time. He arrived to find the villagers busy at work, rebuilding the town. The plaza was mostly back into shape by the time Ivan came back. He stopped at the psynergy stone to recharge his energies, and then headed north towards the Mt. Aleph. Doubtless there would be someone up there building something. He found Felix hard at work building a house by the river. A dock in the river had already been reconstructed by the looks of things, and Ivan could see the craftsmanship in the structure.

"Ey, Felix!"

"Ivan! What are you doing here?"

"Hama wasn't at the temple when I arrived, so I decided to come here for a while and check back later."

"Oh. That's not good. Anyway, you should check out Isaac's house. Kyle and Dora have been helping him rebuild it for weeks now, and it's almost done."

"Nice. See you around, Felix."

"Ditto."

Ivan walked away, heading to Isaac's house. He would have to see about a certain someone's promise. He found Isaac on the roof, putting the finishing touches on the house.

"There, all done."

"You missed a spot."

"Ivan! Holy Sol you scared the crap outta me! Why are you back here?!"

"Just checking to see that you honored our agreement."

"I haven't told anyone… yet."

"If you're going to, you better to it fast or I might beat you to it."

Isaac looked shocked.

"No… way… you wouldn't…"

"I'm under orders to. Anyway, just wanted to check. Here's the finisher for ya."

A gust of wind brought down the final bit of thatch that Isaac needed to the house, which neatly stuffed itself onto the patch Isaac had missed. Ivan was very charitable when he was nervous. He acted nonchalant to throw Isaac off, making sure he wouldn't tell anyone until he got the nerve to do it himself. After a search of the village, he found Jenna sitting under a tree next to the fence they had built the other day. He walked over, saying:

"A nice day."

Jenna was risen from her daydreams by Ivan walking up to her. Could this really be true?

"Ivan?! I thought you were training in Xian!"

"I was, and now I'm back."

"But weren't you supposed to train in Lama Temple after?"

"Hama asked me to do something here first…"

"What do you need to do?"

Ivan, instead of telling her, sat down next to her under the tree. Something was off… Ivan would tell her if it was something trivial, so something must be making him afraid or nervous.

"Ivan? You can tell me…"

"Jenna…Have you ever cared about someone so much, and yet felt that you can't tell them about it? Like… You want to be there right next to them, and you want them to feel the same way… But you know that they probably don't feel that way about you…"

Ivan trailed off. In truth, Jenna felt that exact way about Ivan, but of course she couldn't show it.

"Yeah… I do. Who are you feeling like this about?"

She was afraid of the answer. Ivan wouldn't be telling her about this if it was about her… Then again, that could be why he was talking to her in the first place! It was all so confusing. Love shouldn't be this complicated!

"I… It's…"

Ivan couldn't string two words together… He must be really nervous about telling her. Jenna crawled over and sat right next to him, looking into his eyes.

"You can tell me Ivan. It'll be our little secret."

"Um… It's… well… I uh…"

It was the oddest thing… The closer she got, the more nervous he seemed to become… That could only mean that…

"Ivan… do you actually feel that way about me?"

"I… yes, I meant every word."

"I don't know what to say."

"I know, it was stupid of me. You probably like someone else. I'll go now."

Ivan got up, and Jenna broke out of her shock long enough to say:

"Ivan, wait."

Ivan stopped dead in his tracks.

"I… I missed you, Ivan."

"I missed you too, Jenna."

Then Jenna did what she never thought she would do with a boy. She ran up and jumped on Ivan's back, driving him to the ground. There, she rolled until she was on top, and kissed him on the lips.

Ivan was on Cloud Nine. He hadn't expected her to feel that way about him by a long shot. When she kissed him, he felt better than he had in the hot bath. It was like she brought to mind everything he had been missing, and then gave it all to him in one fell swoop. Ivan kissed her back, and they only stopped for air. It lasted until sunset, when they were interrupted by a dark, tall shadow looming over them.

"So, I never thought you would actually do it. Ivan, I gotta hand it to ya, I never knew you had the guts to come tell her."

"Felix! You knew?" Jenna was shocked. Was she that transparent?

"It was plain as day. And as for you, Ivan…"

Ivan was plucked out of Jenna's embrace like a child from a mother's grip.

"You make her happy… Or Sol help me I will hunt you down."

"Wha- wait… You're not going to kick the crap out of me for kissing your sister?"

"Nah, I heard from Hama that you're as strong as I am now. And of course, I can see your muscles bulging."

Felix dropped Ivan unceremoniously to the ground.

"Ow… Well, I'm glad you finally see sense when Jenna is involved."

"Yeah, I'm glad to hear it, Felix." Jenna hugged her brother, and then walked back to Ivan. She hugged him too, kissing him on the cheek. Ivan could swear his face was melting from the heat.

"So… Uh, I wanted to ask you something… Felix, would you mind if I asked your sister to come back to Lama temple with me to train?"

"Well… I guess, as long as she's safe along the way I could get behind that plan."

"Brother, please. I could Fume any enemy into the ground before they got within ten meters of me. I'll be fine."

"Alright. I'll be making sure that you guys are okay by talking to Hama, alright?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Wait, how are you going to do that?!"

"Uh, well… My secret. See ya, bye!"

Felix left in a hurry, leaving the two alone again.

"So… do you want to come with me?"

"Well… do you want me to?"

"Of course I do…"

"Then I'll come. I'll be with you always."

They kissed again, and it was like he was having ten hot baths at once.

Isaac, having finished the roof, came back inside to find his father cooking dinner.

"Hey, father. How's the chili coming?"

"Poorly… I don't have enough spice mix, I think I was almost out last time."

"No problem, father. I refilled the supply last time I had the chance. Here you go."

"Ah, good thinking son. I think it's time to teach you the secret. You see this packet?"

"Um… Yes… Why?"

"It contains a little poison called Vale Constrictus. This is a species unique to Vale, and completely wipes the lung's ability to hold air. The spices you just got me completely neutralize this effect, and give it the spiciest taste in all of Weyard. I've been making this chili ever since my father taught me how to make it. All you do, is add all of the spices with this packet at the same time. There is plenty of the stuff in this packet in the wild, but you need to be extra careful when harvesting it. You can't touch it with your bare hands, or you'll die. Venus psynergy won't help; the only salvation is these spices mixed with the water inside a Potion. You have a stockpile of these, of course, so you are safe. So, add the spices, and we'll have some dinner."

Isaac added the spices and the poison from the packet, seeing the greenish color of the spices mix with the red color of the dust to form a brownish mix, which then melded to the chili sauce. Just how he remembered it… Dinner that night was the best he had ever tasted.

"To the new house!"

The rest of the family echoed the words, knowing that this chili was great because Isaac had made it.

Ivan and Jenna set out the next day. They walked at a leisurely pace, Ivan conscious of the fact that Jenna could only take so much. They stopped in Vault for rest, and Ivan took the time to explain to her what Chi actually was. They were in a room at the inn, and it was close to nightfall.

"So, you understand how psynergy uses the charge of the mind as power, right?"

"Yes, Ivan. We learned that from Lemuria, remember?"

"No, I wasn't there. Anyway, Chi is the exact opposite. Chi is the body's strength siphoned and shifted from other parts of the body to one place, where it can be used in a similar manner as psynergy. Observe."

Ivan thought about Jenna, his love for her triggering his body to react to the stimuli. He summoned his strength from his abdominals to his hands, summoning a Move technique that normally he could not do. A solid hand emerged, pushing the block he had been focusing on forward. Jenna watched in awe, noticing that this was power that Ivan did not possess.

"Oh, Sol… This is so wonderful."

"There is a catch, I'm afraid. The technique siphons energy from other parts of your body, weakening them. There are limits to Chi, where there are none to psynergy. Also, it takes rigorous training to learn to use Chi, where psynergy may emerge on its own."

"Teach me. Teach me to use this Chi."

"Okay. Focus on your hand. Do not access psynergy, just focus on your hand."

She focused on her hand. She felt this exercise to be silly, knowing that her psynergy would soon kick in whether she tried to or not. She desperately held it in, wanting to look controlled in front of Ivan.

"Oh Sol!!" Ivan yelled.

At the thought of Ivan, her hand shimmered much like Ivan's had when using Chi, and Jenna felt weak from her whole body.

"Jenna, Jenna stop! Stop thinking about me, whatever you do!"

Jenna had to strain to stop thinking about Ivan. Every few seconds, he would pop back into her head, until finally she focused on the ceiling above her, and her strength slowly trickled back into her limbs.

"That… was scary." She coughed out weakly.

"Jenna, I'm sorry. I didn't think you would be able to focus that much power and… well, it's dangerous to use that without strength in your core to keep your heart beating and… Well, we had better not try that again for a while."

"Ivan… I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's ok, Jenna. Just promise me you won't scare me like that ever again."

"I promise."

They kissed again, and fell asleep for the night. The next day, they headed south towards Kalay. Ivan preferred to not enter the town, for fear that Jenna would never want to leave. They headed west, through the Lamaken Desert. Ivan let her splash around in each oasis for longer than him, for he wanted her to be safe at all times. Even though she was a Mars adept, the heat affected her still. They passed the Desert with ease, and reached Lama temple in a day.

"Sister."

"Ah, little Ivan. I see you have brought your friend."

"My name is Jenna. Pleased to see you again."

"Ah, so we have seen each other before. I remember you from Contigo. Little Ivan was more pleased to see you than Isaac and Garet were!" She laughed.

Jenna laughed too, and Ivan was not put off in the slightest. As long as Jenna was happy, he was happy.

"So, Ivan… shall we begin? I shall teach you to control both your psynergy and your Chi together, then I shall help Jenna. I'm sure watching you will help her grasp the concept."

"She… she has already used Chi once, Hama."

He felt his mind being read, and did not try to stop it.

"Ivan, that was foolish. Jenna is not strong enough to focus on only one thing for her energy!"

"I know… I am sorry."

"Be sure never to endanger her again!"

"Please, Hama. I asked him to. I assure you, he did not know what I was capable of at the time. I was shocked myself that I could focus on one thing."

"Well, we shall fix that problem. But first, Ivan. Follow me."

Ivan was led to the center of the ring, while Jenna sat on the outside.

"Alright. Ivan, focus your Chi into one hand, and your psynergy into another."

Ivan had some difficulty. Jenna decided to help him out.

"You can do it, Ivan!" Jenna yelled from the sidelines.

Ivan immediately formed strength from his body into his hand. It shimmered like always when he used Chi. He then focused not only on his hand, but on the psynergy as well. It flowed into the palm of his other hand, as he held them both out. Hama inspected them.

"Yes… this is adequate. Now, I want you to form two balls of power. Make the Chi mold itself based on Jupiter psynergy, okay?"

Ivan nodded slightly, already straining to comply. His psynergy hand immediately glowed and produced a ball of wind. His other hand… Try as he might, he could not spark the power. What would Jenna be thinking of him right now? Immediately, the Chi hand held a ball of lightning.

"Excellent! Now, bring the two balls of energy together!"

Ivan felt his hands drawing closer together, merging… Ivan found himself brimming with power, not only from his mind, but from his entire body the power flowed. A hand dropped to the floor, and immediately several daggers appeared around the hand, forming a circle of sharp points level to his middle fingertip. The other hand dropped and conjured the same.

"Good, Ivan. You are strong now. Open your eyes."

His eyes opened, and he found four daggers forming a square around his shoulders. One was behind a shoulder, and the other was in front. He turned to see a training dummy at the other end. A flick of his wrist, a bend of his thoughts, and two daggers launched themselves from their positions from his wrists and embedded themselves into the dummy's chest.

"This feels good…"

He let the other daggers disappear, falling into dead space that absorbed them like a black hole. Ivan had never felt this power before. Then, he felt Jenna coming up to hug him. This felt amazing… He felt his love for her wash over him, and he decided that as much as power felt good, this love felt better.

"I would give it all up just to be with you, Jenna."

"I never knew I meant so much to you, Ivan…"

"I didn't either, until I felt your arms around me."

It was Jenna's turn now. Ivan sat down, and watched Jenna struggle. Hama instructed her to punch the dummy as hard as she could. She complied, making a tiny dent in the cloth.

"No, no… Imagine that that dummy is keeping you away from Ivan."

The dummy soon found its way to the floor in a million pieces.

"Well, we know now what Mars adepts are known for. Now, I want you to focus again, this time on one of your hands. Then, I want you to think about Ivan."

She complied, willing her mind to focus on her hand. She wondered how easy it was for Ivan to think of her while he did this… Immediately, her limbs felt weak, but her arm felt charged.

"Good, now don't faint on me. I want you to focus and do what I told Ivan to do. Focus your psynergy into your other hand, make the Chi focus into the Mars element, and bring them together."

Jenna did what she was told, imagining a rose, blazing with fire. Her hand immediately held a ball of flame. Her other hand also held a ball, with a fiery dragon contained within. She brought them together, and felt a surge of power as her body and mind were connected and liberated, controlling vast amounts of power. Opening her eyes, she could see balls of flame around her, much like the daggers on Ivan. But on hers, there were tiny doughnuts, with spikes around them engulfed in flames. She willed them to fly towards the dummy, and soon it was littered with tiny black burning spikes. She let them disappear like Ivan's knives did, and felt his arms around her.

"That was amazing, Jenna. I never knew you were that powerful."

"Only when something keeps me from you."

They kissed again, and Hama found herself watching Ivan fall in love. She wished she could have done that, in some point of her life. She excused herself from the temple, giving the couple their moment. She imagined they didn't even know she was there. They were probably in their own little, happy world. She gave them her blessing.

Wow, that was my longest yet. Almost 8000 words in this one!! I hoped you like this one, as I didn't even think of the story beforehand. This one just flowed from my mind, and it took about 3 hours, broken up of course, to write it all out. Enjoy. Review this one please, if you only review one, please review THIS one.


	8. A Secret Spot

A Secret Spot

A Secret Spot

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun.

It was dark in the forest. It was slightly noisy, due to the bugs and animals, but it had a calming effect upon the young adept. Isaac could be found in the forest every morning, meditating. That is, if anyone knew where exactly in the forest he went. Isaac had managed to find a secret clearing, and had set up a meditation spot better than any other he had found previously. The spot by the river was his designated training area, his home his sleeping and eating area. The town was for mingling, but the boy had no desire to mingle today. Isaac was in a strict meditation schedule, he had designed it himself during his travels to focus his psynergy. Lately, he had grown dependant upon the meditation for control of his power, which had grown completely unstable. If he did not meditate, he could not predict when raw power would manifest itself, even in his sleep. Meditating calmed his body, focusing his power and storing it instead of releasing it. By the time the sun had fully risen, Isaac would have finished meditating, and then would be found planting a brand new seed around his spot. The seed helped focus his Venus energy and contain it. The forest around him seemed to thrive upon his energy too…

Mia slowly awoke in her room, on the second floor of Isaac's house. He had graciously offered to allow her to stay in his newly rebuilt house, insisting that she not waste her money at the inn. The others had all sniggered at them, thinking that Isaac just wanted to be closer to Mia, but Mia knew that he was just trying to be nice. She sat up, calling her djinn to her. They had all been sleeping on the little beds Isaac had helped her make for them. Small saplings were grown, then fused together to form a bowl large enough for one of her djinni to sleep in. Of course, the bowl would be filled with water, for the djinn seemed to like it. One by one, the djinn were absorbed into her subconscious, and she started her day. She walked downstairs to find Dora busy at work washing dishes, and Kyle was most likely out fixing something.

"Do you need any help, Ma'am?"

"Please, dear, call me Dora. And no, I wouldn't want you to trouble you with tasks such as dishwashing… you are, of course, a guest." She finished with a smile.

Mia smiled back, knowing that Dora meant well, but she couldn't resist making Dora's life easier. With a flick of her wrist, the water grew a mind of its own, scrubbing the plates with enough force to make them clean in a heartbeat. The plates were so clean that Dora could suddenly see herself shining in them from several angles.

"Oh, Mia… Thank you, is there something I can do for you now that my hands are free?"

"Nothing… I just wondered where Isaac went…"

"Isaac left this morning, like every morning, to go off somewhere… Honestly, I don't know exactly what he does out there…"

"Oh, okay then. Call if you would like help with anything, and please don't hesitate, it doesn't trouble me at all."

"Oh, Mia… You're so helpful… I'm glad you're here with us."

Mia smiled, knowing that Dora was indeed fond of her. She left the house, scanning the forest for a glimpse at the blond haired boy… She knew that he loved the forest outside Vale, she just didn't know why he would go there so early in the morning… She headed to the river, intending to train her Mercury psynergy some more.

Isaac finished planting the seed, then headed off to train by the river. His djinn all moved from their positions around the clearing to absorb themselves into his subconscious. The djinn helped him to focus his energy, drawing upon the earth to stabilize himself. Out of all of the djinn that he befriended, he was most fond of Granite. The djinni had saved him from several injuries, and was extremely helpful during training. Out of all of his djinn, he was the only one Isaac ever talked to about his personal thoughts.

"So, boss… Why do you think your energy is so unstable?"

"I don't know, Granite… since the Golden Sun rose, I'm not sure of anything anymore."

"That's true enough. Want to spar a bit by the river?"

"Sure, that would probably calm me down a bit…"

They headed to the river, taking in the serene beauty of the forest. He was really fond of his home here, and hoped he never would have to leave again. Soon, he could hear the gurgling of the river, and something else too… The sound of Mercury psynergy sounded out to him as well.

"Ah, Mia…"

"Boss, you seem to really like this Mia girl…"

"Can it, Granite. C'mon, let's go see what she's doing!"

Granite canned it, and they reached the riverbank. Mia was alone, standing next to the river. Her right arm was outstretched, tendrils of Mercury psynergy running along it forming spells. The water from the river flexed and danced in strange patterns, helped along by Mia's psynergy. Unbeknownst to Mia, Isaac was creeping silently behind her, making sure that Mia could not hear him. The water continued to dance. Isaac joined her in spell-weaving, willing the sand to rise over the water and join it in the dance. Mia did not notice until their dances collided, forming even more complex shapes in the river. Suddenly, the penny dropped, and Mia turned around to find Isaac behind her.

"Oh, Isaac!"

The water and sand went limp, the sand falling into the river and washing away.

"The water is very nice today… That dance was very pretty."

"Thank you… I didn't even notice your sand until they touched."

"Well, it was a very useful training exercise, emphasizing fine psynergy control skills."

"Oh, can it. You just liked to make the sand dance and you know it."

"Okay, I admit it." Isaac admitted, smiling. What was it about Mia that made him so nervous? He found himself blushing with the thought.

"Isaac? Is something wrong?"

"I was just wondering…"

"Wondering…?"

"Wondering why you look so much more pretty today than usual." He said with a mischievous smile. Mia blushed furiously.

"Oh, Isaac… You must be joking. I'm not that pretty… am I?"

"You're beautiful to me."

Mia blushed even redder. She suddenly seemed to be desperate to find an excuse to leave.

"Well, I uh… have to go pick some herbs… I'll see you later."

Isaac watched her walk off, and cursed his choice of words. He hadn't meant to scare her off like that… Where in the world did he come up with those words? There was no way he would have ever said them normally…

Inside, Granite was laughing his tiny djinni butt off.

"GRANITE!!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"DID YOU MAKE ME SAY THAT…?" Isaac was furious…

"Come on, Boss. I couldn't make you do anything if you hadn't wanted deep down to do it yourself."

"YOU SCARED HER OFF!"

"She's just shy, and besides. She knows you like her now."

"… You're sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Come on Boss, let's spar some. That'll cool you off."

"Fair enough…" He growled, drawing the Gaia Blade.

He leveled the blade, facing parallel to the river next to him. Granite was at his shoulder, forming a barrier to strike against. Over and over, Isaac would slash and slice the barrier, cooling off from his fury. Why did Granite have to go and do that?!

Mia had not truly gone off to pick herbs. As soon as she was out of sight, she had doubled back to watch Isaac train some more. In truth, she was euphoric because now she knew that Isaac liked her… But she couldn't let him know that she liked him… She didn't even know if he was joking with what he said or not… She overheard him yelling:

"DID YOU MAKE ME SAY THAT…?"

"Come on, Boss. I couldn't make you do anything if you hadn't wanted deep down to do it yourself."

"YOU SCARED HER OFF!"

And on and on it went, Isaac was furious at his djinni. But of course, his words rang true, he must have wanted to say that deep down… Tonic was at her ear, urging her on.

"Come on, Mia… Let him know how you feel! He likes you, even Garet would be able to see that!"

"But… I'm afraid…"

"Mia!"

"I like him, he likes me… But I just can't bring myself to tell him…"

"Do it, Mia, or forever regret waiting."

"I want to decide for myself, Tonic… you just want to see Quartz again, don't you!"

"Of course I do, but at least I can tell him how I feel!"

"…" Mia was in tears now. Tonic had hit a soft spot, and she knew it. Tonic tried unsuccessfully to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. By a twist of fate, Isaac heard her crying.

"Mia?"

"sniff Oh no… sniff"

"Mia, what are you doing up there?"

Isaac was dripping in sweat, as he had been forming complex swipes and swings that exerted his strength to the fullest. His tunic was soaked in sweat, and the only thing Mia could think of was how dreamy he looked in the daylight.

"I, uh…"

"Were you watching me?"

"Yes…" She squeaked, terrified of what Isaac would think.

"I'll go now…" She hopped from the tree, intending to flee as fast as possible, but Isaac caught up to her in time.

"Why are you crying?"

"It's… nothing." She said, her face reddening even more brilliantly.

"Then why are you blushing so much?"

"It's about what you said…"

"Oh… Granite made me say that."

"… I was afraid of that…"

Isaac realized his mistake, quickly trying to reassure her that he didn't mean that the way it had come out:

"Wait, that didn't come out right… I meant every word, I just wouldn't have told you like that…"

"Well… what do you really think of me?"

"I, uh… I… I…"

Isaac was left stammering, his big moment had come and he was speechless. Mia realized that both of them were probably terrified of telling each other how they felt, and quickly worked to break the ice:

"Would it help if I said how dreamy you look in that tunic?"

"Well… uh, you look absolutely stunning in your dress…"

"Is that Granite talking?"

"Nope, this is Granite talking."

"Granite! Shut up!" Isaac yelled at his djinni.

"Well… tell him I said thank you."

"Wha- wait… why?"

"Because… I would have never guessed that you thought of me like that if he hadn't made you say it." And with that, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Isaac hadn't felt his face feel this hot ever before. Granite was salsa dancing inside of him, clearly having made his point.

"Isaac?"

"Ye- yeah, Mia?"

"Where do you go in the morning?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes…"

"Come on, I'll show you."

He led her deep into the forest, leading her past several false trails that led to random places. Then, he led her off onto another small hidden path, leading to a grove that noone had ever seen before. There, the trees grew taller, their trunks were thicker, and their leaves turned a brilliant gold color.

"This is where I meditate every morning. Lately, I can't control my psynergy without it…"

"So… this is a very, uh… romantic spot, wouldn't you say?"

"I, uh… you think so?"

"Yes. In fact…" She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

"I want to come here with you every morning."

"You do?"

"Yeah, it would be very nice just to be with you every morning in a romantic spot like this… all alone…"

She leaned in and kissed him again, and this time neither of their faces grew hot. It just felt natural here in the clearing, and they both completely opened up to each other.

"This will just be our special spot, just the two of us."

"AND ALL OF US!!" Of course, both of them had their djinn next to them, which spread out in a circle in the clearing. Some pairs developed between the males and females, but some were left out and just talked to each other. The djinn couples started to behave like thier masters, not that their masters minded. They seemed to feel much more at ease with their djinn next to them doing the same thing.

"Let's not tell the others about this…"

"Agreed."

That day was the best Isaac had had in a long time.

Expect an update soon, Windshipping is up next. Check my Bio for more info.


	9. The Dreams

The Dreams

By: IsaacGaretMia

Disclaimer: I do not own golden sun… I wish I did though.

Warning: This story is a behemoth, spanning over 20000 words in length. It is not for the faint of heart, and contains several scenes of gore, love, and battle. If you think you can handle it, then just buckle up your seatbelts and enjoy the ride. Once again, good luck.

_-A great town-_

_-Darkness absolute, Vivid sight-_

_-Cloudless night, Stars of Past-_

_-Circle of Fangs, Moments Passed-_

_-Hallowed Ground, Soundless Shriek-_

_Death on Silent Wings._

Sheba sat in her room in Lalivero, staring off into the sunset with boredom in her eyes. Lalivero was her home, of sorts… But she felt like a prisoner in her own home… She knew she really belonged with her friends… And she had lost them. When their journey ended, the others went away, and she knew she had to go too. One night, she just left, and didn't look back. Once she got back to Lalivero though, they wouldn't let her leave. She was a sort of goddess in the town, and they didn't want to risk their crown jewel of worship being hurt out in the world. Sighing, she lied down on her bed, wishing someone would come and rescue her from her voluntary prison… But that would never happen. She couldn't believe it had been one whole year.

Ivan sat in Kalay, mingling with the townsfolk, and yet keeping his distance. He didn't really want to be here… Well, it was technically his home, but… Something wasn't… right here. Hammet and Layana were so nice to him, and took care of him and all and he was truly grateful to them for it but… He couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Could it be his friends? Was it Isaac, the older, taller, blond haired Venus adept that could always seem to lead the group to victory? Or Garet, the red haired, slow Mars adept that would always be a step behind the group? Or Mia, the kind aqua haired Mercury adept that would always be compassionate to anyone and everyone? Maybe it was Felix, the tall, dark haired brooding Venus adept who, no matter the situation, protected everyone with his life. Or Jenna, with her fiery temper and strong wit that would always cheer up the group even when she was beating them up… Or was it Piers, the old dark blue haired Mercury adept that provided the group with wisdom, even when they didn't want it… No, Ivan was missing a certain blond haired Jupiter adept, whose shyness hid her compassion and warmth from the rest of the group… But nothing was hidden from him. Ivan just wished she was here next to him, right now…

Sheba had had enough, it was time for action. If the townsfolk wouldn't let her leave, then she would just leave by herself. Maybe she would go east… Yeah, then she would head north… She didn't really know what was up there, but it was the only way she could go. She packed up her gear, her finger lingering over a small black book before she closed the pack, and slung it over her back. Summoning up a small wind to carry her from the top floor to the ground, she set off from the town, and didn't look back. She wondered who she would see first… Ivan? She hoped so… She had grown quite fond of the little Jupiter Adept… He was in many ways similar to her… And he had always been so nice to her… In truth, she had kind of a crush on the boy… But she wouldn't admit it to anyone. Noone else could know about it… He would just laugh at her feelings. Right? Right…?

Ivan slept soundly that night, owing partly to a new idea that had entered his brain just before. He had found a new herb outside Kalay that might have had unique properties… He took it to the Item shop, and she confirmed it to be a special leaf that would make people fall unconscious. Ivan thought that he could use this leaf with a little experiment. But for now… he would sleep. Dawn came, and Ivan took the bundle of leaves he had kept by his side during the night and stuffed it into the pocket of his tunic. He ran outside and raced towards the Item shop. There she was, and hopefully she had more news.

"Hey Ivan!"

"Hey, so what did you learn about the leaves?"

"Well, if you grind them up, one drop of the mix will knock a person out in less than a minute!"

"That's… strong…"

"Extremely. You have enough in that bundle of leaves to create a nice large bottle of the stuff too!"

"Excellent. Could you teach me how to make it?"

"Certainly."

The girl showed him how to take a mortar and pestle and grind up the herbs, then add a small amount of water to the mix to create a nice greenish fluid. Ivan took the mixture, and thanked the girl. He also took a mortar and pestle, and then ran off. When he reached a spot behind one of the town walls, he took the mixture and set the bottle on the ground. He sat right in front of it, and summoned Jupiter energy into his hands.

"Sleep…"

The sleep spell lazily drifted from his palm, and floated above the mixture, but it just wouldn't combine… He decided to make another batch, but this time he would use the spell while he was grinding the herbs… He took the leaves and placed them into the mortar. He summoned as much energy as he thought the mixture could withstand and started grinding, muttering under his breath:

"Sleep… Sleep… Sleep… Sleep… SLEEP!"

The spell drifted into the mortar, mixing its power with the dust. Ivan added a small amount of water, and the mixture shimmered. Ivan found himself holding a small bottle of glowing blue mixture.

"I wonder how strong this is…"

Just then, a squirrel came scampering by. Ivan walked over, reassuring the animal with his mind, and had the small creature drink a drop of the liquid. Immediately, the squirrel fell limp upon his hand. Feeling the creature, he saw that it was not dead, only sleeping. Perfect. This would do nicely…

Sheba had been walking for what seemed like days, but the moon still hadn't fallen from the sky. She reached the forests before the Venus Lighthouse just at dawn, and walked leisurely toward its base. The memories swirled back, and she saw flashes of the past: Two adepts fighting a group of four, the group falling to their blades, their psynergies merging to form a dragon, how the lighthouse shook, and how she fell from the aerie. How Felix jumped after her, and the only thing she could think about was that she didn't want to die. The memories faded, and she decided to spend a little time at the base. She sat down at a tree, and nodded off for a while. When she woke up, the sun was high in the sky, so she set off again. She walked until sunset, and when she felt that she was far enough away so that Lalivero wouldn't be able to catch her, she made a makeshift bed in a tree by carving a portion out of it with wind, and then she lied down on it and nodded off to sleep.

_Her dream that night was strange, to say the least. She found herself in the middle of a large plain, and a great town was in front of her. She did not recognize it… But she walked towards it nonetheless. The darkness should have been absolute, but for some reason she could see vividly. She looked up and saw the stars, in a cloudless night. Suddenly, she had a feeling she couldn't explain. She was compelled to look down. What she saw almost made her heart stop. There in front of her was a huge wolf, gleaming fangs glistening in the darkness, with gray and black fur covering its hulking body. Further investigation revealed another eight surrounding her in a tight circle. Something told her that these wolves weren't here to play, and she used Mind Read on the head wolf…_

…

…

…

_Nothing? The wolf tensed, and Sheba was struck with a striking terror. She couldn't move! The wolf leapt, and Sheba was forced to the ground, as a soundless scream split the night._

Ivan woke up with a start. His dream had been so weird… He got out of bed and headed to the window. It was a beautiful day, with large puffy white clouds in the sky, and the townsfolk were out and about like any other day. But this was not any other day to Ivan, no. Ivan was going to head down to the weaponsmith to create something special today. He dressed in his tunic, and stood in front of the mirror, looking himself up and down. He had certainly grown in the past year, and was almost Isaac's height now. He opened his door, and walked out of his room. The hallways were filled with pictures, suits of armor, rugs, things you would normally see inside a castle. He headed out the door with naught a word to anyone. The hustle and bustle of commoners worked to shield him from the stares of normal people, for Ivan was not a normal boy. He was an Adept, with frightening powers. If people only knew what he could really do, he would be cast out and feared. He walked briskly down to the weaponsmith, making sure not to talk to anyone that didn't need to be talked to, and entered through the door. Closing it behind him, he observed a dark room, filled with suits of armor and swords. Only one smith was at work today, the armorsmith was away for some reason; so Ivan walked on over to the anvil and forge, where the smith took a piece of iron and heated it to the hottest temperature before banging it on the anvil to widen and lengthen the metal.

"A fine trade, smith."

"Ah, Ivan! What a pleasure! What can I do for you today?"

"I wanted to watch you… And maybe try it a bit for myself."

"You want to ply this trade yourself?"

"No, sir… I had something specific in mind…"

"If you could draw it…"

"Very well."

Ivan took a sheet of paper out, and a stylus, and began drawing the idea that had popped into his head. The detail was so intricately drawn that the weaponsmith decided to get back to work, as Ivan would be at it a while. After a few hours, Ivan was finished, and the paper had drawn on it a dagger of beautiful design. The hilt was molded upon his whirlwind spell, with an inlayed gem of amethyst, a deep violet. The cross guard was not suited for the purpose of blocking a blade from reaching the hand, rather it was curved and twisted in such a way that a flow of air would spin the blade in a clockwise direction, and was also drawn to show this. The blade itself was very short and precise, it was almost completely flat but raised to an edge on both sides. The tip ended in a razor sharp point, everything about the blade was molded upon accuracy. The slightness of the blade, the cross guard which would spiral the blade in midair to give it stability, even the hilt, which would concentrate the spell instead of dispersing it. Without these features, a burst of wind would propel it in any direction; the blade might even just spin around and strike something with its hilt, instead of a point of cold hard steel. The edge was drawn with such precision that just looking at it gave you the feeling that it could pierce through the hardest of armors. The smith looked at the picture in awe.

"That blade…"

"Yes, it suits me."

"The cross guard… it is not meant for stopping a blade, is it?"

"No, it is not."

"You want me to make you this?"

"Actually, I want you to make me ten of them."

"T-Ten?!"

"Yes, ten. Funding is not an issue, I have plenty of coins."

"B-but… I don't think I have enough metal…"

"You shall just have to melt down other swords and such, I guess. You shall be properly rewarded, I assure you."

"Alright then… You shall have your blades in a day or two."

"Wait, I have another request."

"Yes?"

"The point of each dagger…"

"The edge, or the very tip?"

"The tip. Make a flat opening down about this far down into the blade."

He pointed to a specified point about an inch down from the tip. The smith nodded, and set to work creating his masterpiece. Ivan set off to the fields outside Kalay for the rest of the day. He was not one to fool around, but he was set thinking about a new practicing regimen that he would put himself through. When they were done, Ivan would have a lot of work to do.

Sheba awoke startled, as her surroundings returned in a flash. Her nightmare had scared her, and the details remained etched into her mind. She could not forget the look of the wolf, just before it had pounced, the feel of the cold, hard ground of the plain. She rose from her makeshift bed in the tree and hopped nimbly to the ground. It was morning, and the sunlight was being filtered through the canopy. She walked along the path between the mountains for what seemed like ages to her before she reached the Suhulla Range. The ground underneath her feet was so hard in this area, it made her feet ache with the pain. There would surely be guards stationed in the pass, and this would be problematic for her. She walked nimbly between the rocks, as a rift had appeared in the middle of the range, making it almost impassable. More than once, she had to stabilize herself lest she fall to the sea again. Soon, the danger had passed, and she was walking again in safe territory. She reached the gate quickly, and stopped dead in her tracks. The guards had not seen or heard her yet, so she improvised a plan of action. She snuck up behind one guard, densely packing the air around her feet to keep any noise from escaping, and waited for just the right moment. Wait for it… wait for it… NOW! She encased the guard in a whirlwind, making him spin in place for a few seconds, while she raced towards the next guard who was still turning her way to see what the commotion was, when the guard suddenly felt himself pushed towards the ground by a rogue gust of wind. When the guards were suitably dizzy or disoriented, Sheba sprinted away swiftly towards the desert, where she would hopefully find something to cheer her up.

Sheba reached the desert in record time, not wanting to waste a moment. She raced through the sand, and didn't even notice where it was flying, or the pain in her feet as the grains came between her foot and the sandal. Soon she reached a large open coliseum, with stone walls and rocky sand. On the other end, there was a ledge with footholds set into the rock, where she could climb up. She raced towards it, after all it was a familiar path to her. Upon reaching the top of the ledge, she turned to the left, and walked to the edge. There was nothing here, no pillar to jump across to the other side. Or was there? She hopped, landing upon an unseen pillar of wood. Anyone who saw her now would think she was standing in midair, if they did not have the power of Reveal. Leaping to the other side with apparent ease, she climbed down into a basin where the opening to a cave lay. This was her special spot, where none but a Jupiter adept could reach. She walked through the cave briskly, wanting to reach the other side as quickly as possible. A light at the end of the tunnel appeared, and Sheba began to run. As she reached the mouth of the cave, a roar was heard in the small clearing.

"There you are, Tempest!!"

"RROAAR!"

"Aw… You missed me!"

She walked over and climbed up to the Tempest Lizard's neck flap, where there was a comfortable spot to rest in. She had found this lizard all alone here one day, his predecessors having been killed by a group of adventurers wanting to increase their experience. Soon, this one was the only one left. Sheba, having a caring heart, became friends with this creature quickly, and it had become her good friend over the past year.

'_It has been a long time since I have seen you, child. How have things been?' _

'_Things are okay, I guess… But I'm leaving Lalivero for good now. They won't let me go anywhere, and I get bored easily. I'm heading north, to the lands beyond.'_

'_Are you sure you will be okay up there?'_

'_I'll be fine, Tempest. Relax, I won't get myself hurt. I promise I'll come back and visit you. I'll even bring treats!'_

'_Mmm… Treats…'_

She could see the saliva glistening on her pet's gaping maw. She giggled, knowing the Lizard's fondness for small armored rats that she'd find near Bilibin. She rested with the lizard all night, because sleeping next to it gave her warmth and protection from the freezing nights of the desert.

Ivan took the small blade in his hand, and ran it over with his fingers. This should do… The cross guard was slanted just right, as a breeze came by and twisted it in his fingers. The hilt was also satisfactory, an inset amethyst becoming a focal point for his whirlwind spell. The blade was made of hardened steel, sharp enough to cut through a tree with little effort, and a notch was slightly visible at the tip. He poured a slight drop of Drowsiness Serum into the cavity, which was his new name for the potion he concocted. He had just received the first dagger from the smith, after half a day of waiting, and he was pleased with the result. He gave the smith his reward, and told him that the rest would be given upon completion of the other nine. After paying the smith, he walked to the outskirts of town to practice, intending to see if his plan would work out. It took a while, but he found a lone tree in the middle of nowhere, and focused intently upon it. Summoning up his psynergy, he manipulated the gales inside the dagger and raised it to his eye level. The blade revolved in its cradle of wind, and Ivan held out his open palm to the tree. He narrowed his eyes, brought his hand to the side of his chin, and slashed outward horizontally, as if he were cutting the tree in half with his hand. The whirlwind dissipated, and the blade started to fall. As the tip of the dagger aligned itself with the middle of the tree, Ivan's slashing hand summoned a gust of wind that propelled the knife with unnatural force. The blade spun in midair, hurtling itself towards the tree at breakneck speed… At least he had hoped it would go towards the tree. But Ivan's timing was off, and the dagger missed the tree by a long shot. Sighing, he went to retrieve his dagger. It would be a long time before he got good at this…

Sheba had slept the day away, and through the whole night to boot. When she woke up, she thought it was still night, until she realized she was sheltered inside the lizard's neck flap. She tapped on the fleshy piece of skin to wake up Tempest, so he could let her out. The neck flap opened, and Sheba was assaulted by the harsh light of the desert morning. Dawn had just broken, and yet the sun had already began to scorch the air around her. She hopped to the ground, and watched the Lizard fight off its sleepiness.

'_So, what are you going to do now?'_

'_I think that it would be easier for a certain tempest to take me to the northern entrance, wouldn't you agree?'_

'_I couldn't agree more, child.'_

The lizard tensed its legs, and summoned a large storm that swept Sheba up into the air, and carried her gently north, until she was deposited outside the desert. She thanked her pet, and promised him that she would bring back some armored rats next time. She turned around and gazed upon the unfamiliar land around her. She had only traversed this land once or twice, and always with an escort, so she never really grew accustomed to it. She walked to the east, passing the town of Suhalla without entering it, and kept a hurried pace until the light of the day waned, at which point she decided to rest for the night in the middle of the plain. To the north there was a forest, and beyond that there would be a bridge, she remembered. She wondered how she would get past it without them knowing… But that was a problem for tomorrow. For now, she would rest…

_Whuh_

_Whuh_

_Whuh_

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Thud_.

Ivan fell to his knees, the power needed to concentrate the wind into each individual dagger was draining the strength he needed to stand. He surveyed his work, his spirit rising as he saw that all three daggers hit the tree at least. He was improving, slowly but steadily. Maybe now he could try the other technique… He got up, dusted himself off, and prepared another spell. He raised his hand to the tree, open palmed, and summoned what little Jupiter energies he had left into it. He waited until the forces were concentrated enough, then he tensed his body, squared his shoulders, and closed his palm into a fist with brute force. The ball of energy dissipated, and the spell was released. A circle of pure wind materialized around each dagger, and intensified with each passing second. A funnel of wind spun around each blade, as a concentrated burst of air spun through the hilt, detaching the knives from the wood of the tree. Each blade followed the path it had taken towards the tree backwards, spinning the other way this time, until they reached Ivan's fist. There they spun, suspended by a whirlwind spell that was rapidly diminishing in power. Ivan fell to the ground as the last of his psynergy was drained, and he couldn't support himself any longer. He lay there for the rest of the day, and all night as well, and woke up feeling sore all over.

"Oh, Sol… Dammit, that spell is hard…"

He managed to pull himself up off the ground, and picked up each of the three daggers from their spot embedded in the ground. He cleaned them off until he could see his face in them, and limped back to Kalay. He slowly regained strength, and was able to walk among the commoners in the streets without anyone staring at him. He reached the smith's place, and opened the door. There he was, and he had the rest of the daggers set out in a row on the counter. He walked over, and the smith took notice of him.

"Ivan! What in blazes?"

Ivan spoke after a small fit of coughs, "I'm fine, smith… The knives… They're beautiful."

"I know they're pretty, I made them! Now, what in blazes happened to you, boy?"

"Training. I'm fine. Your payment… 50,000 gold will handle it I trust?"

"Ah… 50? FIFTY THOUSAND?!"

"Yes, I trust that…" But Ivan broke out in another convulsion of coughs, "Sorry… Yes, I think that you deserve it. Here, take the coins."

"Lad, I can't…"

"Just take them, you deserve it. It's only half of the sum I earned in my travels. Is the armorer back?"

"Yes… I believe he should be… Ah, here he is. Thanks again, laddie."

"Don't mention it. Armorsmith!" Ivan turned to the burly armor making man and gave him a wave.

"Ah, Ivan! You need something, lad?"

"Yes, I need a few sheathes." The Jupiter adept gave a wry smile.

"Sheathes? Ah, I believe I can help you there."

"Can you make a double knife sheath?"

"Hm… yes, I believe I could make two and fasten one below the other…" He placed a hand on his chin, scratching the stubble it had.

"Excellent. I'll take four double knife sheathes, and two single knife sheathes. The single ones… I would like a strap made on them, instead of a clip that would attach to a belt."

"Alright, laddie. I'll make them right away." The armorer turned his back and began his task.

Ivan left the shop feeling better. He called back, and told the weaponsmith to keep the knives until the sheathes were finished. He walked back to the castle, and prepared himself for the barrage of questions that he would undoubtedly receive.

Sheba reached the bridge at noon the next day. She stopped, watching the guards intently. There were three of them, two at the head of the bridge, and one on her side of it. Each of them was a Colosso victor, armored in gleaming green steel. As she stood there, wondering how she would get past them, they turned around suddenly. Oh Sol! She had forgotton to hide!

"Lady Sheba?" 'Lady' Sheba walked forward to the guards, and thought quickly of a plan.

"Guards."

"Lady Sheba, where are your escorts?"

"I need no escorts, guards. And if you tell anyone that I passed here, then I will make you pay. Understood?"

"Yes, Lady Sheba… But we surely must tell Faran…" The guard spoke in a tone of authority.

Sheba grabbed the nearest guard by his armor straps and conjured a small whirlwind to help her lift him into the air for dramatic effect. Boy, she was a drama queen…

"Now you listen here. NO ONE will know I was here. UNDERSTAND?!"

The guard nodded affirmative, and the other guards did the same. She released the guard and let him fall in a heap on the ground. This was getting to be fun.

"As you were, soldiers." The soldiers saluted her. She was beginning to like being considered royalty…

"Oh, and soldiers…"

"Yes milady?"

"If anyone were to… learn of my passing through here…" The guards waited on bated breath… Sheba paused a second to let the silence sink in.

"I doubt that armor will help your swimming skills."

And each guard knew without a doubt that the girl was not kidding. Sheba walked past them easily, and continued heading north. The day was closing fast, and she made it halfway to Tolbi before the light failed her. She walked a little more and hopped up the first tree she saw, creating a bed just like she had before. She would explore a bit more tomorrow...

Ivan stood motionless… As a statue in the middle of a forest clearing. Although he had to travel a great distance to do it, this training spot was the best he had found outside Kalay. Even though it took a long time to convince Hammet and Layana, he finally got permission to train for days on end out here in the forest. Now he was working on endurance, maintaining his spells for longer periods of time. He stood in the middle of the clearing, his hands outstretched in either direction, maintaining multiple whirlwinds in the air beside him. At any one time, there would be ten or fifteen cyclones raging around him, going strong for Sol knows how long. Ivan would even have them dance, moving about in patterns strange to any but one of the Jupiter clan. Even Ivan was surprised at the patterns in which the winds made when he drifted off into his thoughts and stopped paying attention, only to snap back and see a strange new pattern. Eventually, his power was drained, and Ivan could finally start the real training.

"Alright, let's do this!"

He focused the whirlwinds in a circle around him, and concentrated hard on each one of them. He felt his strength seeping through his hands every second, his limbs started to fail him, and yet he still maintained the spell. The last dregs of power slipped through his grasp, and finally his psynergy was drained. Or was it? Ivan maintained the spell by a force unknown even to him. His psynergy was completely drained, yet more power was flowing through his palm with every passing second. How was this possible? How was… this… possibl- Thud. The whirlwinds died, and Ivan collapsed upon the ground. And there he lay for hours, unconscious as his body tried as hard as it could to find the energy to sustain itself. And somehow, it found a great strength, as previously unknown channels of power opened within his mind, and he would have felt a surge of Jupiter psyenergy flow into him had he been conscious.

Sheba was well rested in her lofty perch upon the tree. When dawn came, she deftly hopped to the ground, landing with a light tap, and proceeded upon her merry way. To her right, she could see a vast sea, covering a large distance, so much so that she couldn't see the other side. On her side, however, she could see a dock. She remembered Ivan's story about the boats and the Kraken they had fought, so she decided to just ask for information down there, rather than charter a ship. She walked at a light pace, reaching the docks by midday. She saw a nice cabin next to the dock, so she walked in. Inside, she saw a lady behind the counter, and a few people sitting down in chairs of wood.

"Excuse me… What lies on the other side of this sea?"

"Ah, are you planning on going sightseeing, girl? Well, besides the docks on the other side, there is the town of Kalay, and that is the only town for a long distance."

Sheba's face lit up at the information she had received, "Kalay? Really? Well, thank you ma'am. There is a road to the north, is there not?"

"Why, yes… It was closed off, but I have just learned that they opened it up again. It is a nice day's walk from this end to the next."

"Again, thank you ma'am. Good day to you."

"You too, sweetie."

Such a nice lady. Sheba decided to start making the journey now, and received directions on how to get to the path. Thanking her again, she left the nice little house and walked to the northeast. She would have to take a wide detour to cross the bridge, in order to get to the pathway. Finally, at nightfall, she made it to the start of the path. Not wishing to become ambushed in her sleep, she backtracked slightly, hopping up to a well-concealed tree a few meters off of the path. She was beginning to become fond of her bed-making technique….

Ivan woke up to rays of sunlight shining upon his eyes. He sat up, groaning, because of the pain he expected to feel… Right about now… Any second now… That's odd… Ivan felt fine. In fact, Ivan felt better than he had ever felt before. He stood up, and looked around. He remembered his strength leaving him… maintaining the spell somehow… and then, nothing. Try as he might, he just couldn't remember what had happened next. Perhaps he had fallen unconscious… Maybe… In any event, he decided to try again. Standing in the middle of the clearing again, this time he would try using the bursts of air that sent the daggers flying. He would perform it again and again until it was natural. He raised his hands to his chin, forming an X with his arms, and tensed his body. His arms radiated power, and the air around them shimmered and compacted, forming a sort of air-armor around his arms. Finally, his arms could no longer take any energy, and he slashed outwards. The blast shook the entire forest, and a huge dust cloud formed, impairing his vision. He spent the time it took for the dust to settle marveling at how little the spell had drained him. When the dust finally settled, Ivan saw a graveyard of trees. The force of air had been so powerful and so focused that it had severed the trees in half.

"No way…"

But of course it was true. That training had awoken some sort of unnatural power within him. He decided to try using the daggers again. He took one out, and leveled it with a whirlwind spell at a tree. Again, he brought his hand to his chin, and slashed. Ivan did not even see it until it hit the tree. Without moving his arm again, he closed his palm into a fist, and the dagger shot right back towards him. Ivan felt the familiar drain, but it was minimal this time. He smiled, knowing that this was going to be a very useful skill.

Sheba hopped down from the tree, sore all over. Apparently, these trees were a lot less comfortable and soft than her own trees back at home. She headed back to the trail, and started walking along it; using the Karagol as her guide. She would follow its edge until she reached the other side. She walked until noon, when the sun was hottest, and decided to rest along the road. So far, things had been boring. To her left, there was a mountain range… Bo-ring. To her right, the water. Nothing to see… After a slight rest and some bread from her pack, she returned to her previous pace, intending to reach the other side as fast as possible. This path just didn't sit right with her. But wait, what was that off in the distance? She peered out into the sea, and saw a distant island, with a mountain in the middle of it. She could have sworn that it looked like a ship's mast too… Oh well… She had never been a great swimmer, Felix almost fell unconscious trying to swim both of them to the floating island.

"Heh… Yeah, I ought to work on that…" She placed a hand to her head and smiled before continuing on.

She kept walking, and after an hour to two she started to see a dock in the distance. She started to increase her pace, slipping into a run before long. Anything to break the monotony. She ran faster, and faster, summoning a wind at her back to speed her along. Finally, she rounded the final bend in the path, and raced headlong into the port. The dock-workers all stared as she barreled down the path, creating a dust cloud as she tried desperately to stop. Finally, she managed to turn sideways and lean to the side, and the dust flew into the air in a huge cloud. As it settled, she saw that everyone was staring at her.

"Oops… Sorry! I'll just go now…"

One dock worker came forward, telling her that she should enter in Colosso she was so fast. Remembering Isaac's stories, she said that she would think about it, and then ran off as soon as they were out of sight. Finally, she saw a town in the distance. By now, it was sunset, but since she was so close, she decided to try to reach it by morning instead of sleeping.

Ivan closed his eyes, imagining his surroundings vividly in his mind. The dark trunks of the trees around him, the filtered sunlight from the canopy, the dark patches of grass… All were framed in his minds eye. He raised his arms to each side, summoning the familiar whirlwinds around him. The daggers rose, spinning slightly in their cradles. He focused intently on eight specific tree trunks around him, aligning each dagger with its own tree. At last, he prepared to use his new spell; he relaxed his shoulders, tensed his knees, crouching down ever so slightly. He took a deep breath, bent his arms faintly, and tucked his chin to his neck.

"RRRAAAUGH!!"

He screamed out into the clearing, using his left foot as a pivot point to spin about in place. A concentrated band of wind followed his arms, and as his right foot landed upon its starting position, his legs straightened as his slightly bent arms pushed outwards, the air pulsing with unearthly force. The daggers aligned their tips with their respective tree trunks, and were sent on their way by the force of the pulse.

Thudududududududud

The daggers hit their targets slightly faster or slower than each other, as their trees were not of equal distance away. Ivan heard each thump, and knew that every dagger had hit on target. He was improving more and more with each day he practiced out here. Right now, he was confident that he could hit an apple hidden in the branches of a tree a hundred meters away. Without moving his arms from their positions outstretched towards the sides of the clearing, he clenched his fingers into a fist, summoning a funnel of air that would return each dagger to a whirlwind around his hands. Opening his eyes, Ivan saw eight holes in eight trees, and four daggers whirling around each fist. He lowered his hands to his side, and the daggers slid into their double knife sheathes. He took a deep breath, and spun about again, this time bringing his arms to the middle of his chest, then pushing them outwards again. Two daggers shot out from sheathes strapped to each arm, each one being pushed out hilt first, then flipping over right as they reached the palm of his hands. A small pulse directly behind each one was enough to send them flying with bone crushing force at two trees on either side of him, and both of the trees were pushed backwards by the force of the blows; their roots lifting completely out of the ground. Ivan brought his arms into another X, the blades sent spinning back to each palm; before being sent back into their sheathes strapped to his arms.

Ivan stood in the middle of the destruction he had created, panting in exhaustion, "That's it… I'm ready…" He finished with a small cough.

The energy it took to perform each spell consecutively drained him of his strength, but he found that his body could handle the strain, so long as he didn't overwork himself. Without another word, he walked out of the clearing and headed back to Kalay. He had finally mastered his new technique.

Sheba walked towards Kalay with determination. It was dark by now, and she was halfway there. Ahead, she saw the shining lights of the city, rapidly being put out by those who wished to go to sleep. At the apex of the city, she saw the castle, doubtless where the rulers of the city lived.

_-A great town-_

Around her, sparse grass grew in places, and she could see trees in the distance, but she was on a bare plain. Around her, she could see, even though it was dark out. It was highly unusual, to say the least.

_-Darkness absolute, Vivid sight-_

It was nights like this that made her feel the most alive. A cloudless night, full of stars and the moon… She had fallen from the sky, an angel to the people of Lalivero. The answers to her questions lay up there, waiting to be discovered… she just knew it.

_-Cloudless night, Stars of Past-_

Suddenly, as she was looking at the stars, she heard a low growl, and the shuffling of paws. Looking down, she saw a pack of nine wolves, the leader surrounded by eight in a tight circle. The wolves' coats gleamed in the moonlight, gray and black like storm clouds… With gleaming white fangs, and saliva dripping off of the tips.

_-Circle of Fangs, Moments Passed-_

She held out her hand, muttering softly to herself:

"Mind Read…"

'_You may pray to the god or goddess of your choice before we kill you. Our pack is a civil one, and we always let our pray meet their maker with prayer in hand.'_

She stood there, transfixed in fear, realizing that she had only seconds left on Weyard. She may never know where she came from… She would never see Ivan again. She fell into despair, and waited for the inevitable push off of the mortal coil. The wolf tensed, and pounced on her. She fell to the ground, as she heard one final scream in the night.

_-Hallowed Ground, Soundless Shriek-_

_Death on Silent Wings._

Sheba woke in comfort, at least. So this was what the world beyond looked like. It was a lot like a castle… She was lying on a bed made of the softest linens, where the only light was of the moon, shining through a window. The walls were made of stone, behind drapes and tapestries. There was a door, too! It was like a door from home! She braced herself, and sat up. She tentatively put one foot to the floor, then the other. Solid. She wouldn't fall through. She walked over and opened the door. She stepped silently into a hallway, with a window of that like in her room at the very end. It was dark, so she could not see anything else but a man, next to the window. The sleeves of his tunic were long, and he was tall, but that was it. She could not see anything else because of the darkness and the hood that covered his face. Was this… Death? The Grim Reaper, come to claim her soul? She walked forward on silent feet, each step bringing her closer and closer to the dark figure. Finally, she could bear the silence no longer,

"Um… Where am I?"

This answer would prove it. Whether she was dead or not. One last hope lay bare to be crushed by the hooded man…

"Kalay."

"Then… I'm not dead?" She couldn't believe it… What in Sol happened?

"No. I saved you from the wolves at the last second."

His voice was deep, and mostly unfamiliar to her. Yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she knew this person, although she had never seen him before. She realized that the silence had been dragging on, and hurriedly she spat out,

"Oh, um… thanks."

"You don't have to thank me. You would have done the same."

He chuckled slightly when saying that last sentence. He knew she had yet to figure out who this man was. She took a deep breath, and voiced the question burning a hole in her brain,

"Who are you?"

Without a word, the man stepped forward, and flicked his head back to let the hood fall off. She stepped back in shock, stabilizing herself on the wall.

"I-Ivan?"

Ivan walked back to Kalay feeling better than he had ever felt, even when he was on his journey and training almost every day. It was dark, and he wanted to be home. But something was bothering him. It was more than a feeling, it was more of a… an attraction. He was feeling drawn towards something, and he didn't know what in Sol could be doing it. He just felt like he just had to keep walking, no matter what. He walked for hours, until the moon was high in the sky, and finally he was in the middle of the plain, halfway to Kalay, on top of a ledge overlooking the last stretch of land separating him from his hometown. Only, that wasn't the only thing separating him anymore. Looking down, he saw a pack of wolves surrounding a woman, who was busy looking at the stars. Suddenly, she looked down and saw them, turning completely around to see the entire pack. And he saw her face,

"Sheba!"

Ivan leapt to the bottom, racing towards her. It would be too late, the pack leader would pounce, and nothing would be left of her by the time he got there. NO! There had to be another way! It suddenly dawned on him what he had been doing the past week. Suddenly, the pack leader tensed, and he shouted out without thinking:

"NO!"

His arm shot out. A dagger flew from its sheath. His arm flashed white. A supernova of wind exploded from his palm, shooting the dagger out so fast that a loud whistle was heard as the dagger sped towards its victim. The wolf leapt, the dagger flew, and the wolf saw no more. Ivan was running the entire time, and he reached the pack in a heartbeat. He jumped right over one of the wolves, and stood over Sheba, protecting her. He didn't think of his own safety at all, just hers. He looked down, making sure that she was unharmed, before sending a telepathic message to the wolves:

'_LEAVE, OR THE REST OF YOU WILL BECOME JUST AS YOUR LEADER!'_

But wolves aren't ones to be scared off from their prey, especially if their leader has fallen to it. So, they advanced, growling as loud as they could to frighten Ivan. He had had enough of this. Without another word, he raised his arms outwards, tensed his body, and spun. Eight daggers rose from their sheathes. Eight daggers pointed at eight wolves. A pulsing ring of wind sent them on their way. Nine wolves lay unconscious in a circle, the narcotic rapidly shutting down all mental activity, save for heartbeat and breathing. Ivan closed his fists, summoning his nine daggers back to their sheathes, and looked down at Sheba again. She was merely unconscious, he hoped. She was not bruised, cut, or punctured, so he assumed that she had fainted from shock. Gently, he looped one arm under her knees, the other under her back, and raised her to his chest. He ran the entire distance to Kalay without stopping, intending to get her to a bed as fast as possible. Due to there being no beds available when he got there, he placed her in his without hesitation. He then stood, a silent sentinel, outside her door, looking out the window at the sky. One single tear escaped his eye, and one thought ran through his head,

'I almost lost her…'

"Ivan…"

Sheba saw it now. It had been one whole year since she had seen his face, and yet she hadn't forgotten it for a second. She saw it every day and night, it occupied her dreams constantly. It had grown, surely, just as his entire body had… But one thing hadn't changed; the blond hair, falling majestically in front of his face that made him look like an ancient prince of old… Her prince. She ran forward and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go of him for a second.

"Ow, hey Sheba! Cut it out, will ya?" He struggled against her unyielding embrace, but he was really quietly enjoying it.

"Ivan… I'm so glad you're here…" She closed her eyes tight as she pressed her face into him.

"Sheba, ouch! Cut it out…" He looked down at her with kindness in his eyes, but his words were firm.

Sheba wasn't going to let go. The person who she'd been missing for an entire year saved her life, and she hadn't realized it until he'd told her. Her prince…

"I'll never let you go… I'll stay right next to you forever."

Ivan stopped struggling for some reason. Sheba noticed his body relaxing, then she felt his arms around her too, and they stayed like that for the rest of the night. At some point, Sheba buried her face in his soft tunic, and began to fall asleep, and Ivan didn't carry her to a bed. He just stood there, holding her close to him until he heard her breathing slow. He gently lowered one of his arms to her legs and tenderly lifted her fragile frame. He walked slowly but surely back to his room, not wanting to wake her. Ivan placed her in his bed, lifting the blankets to cover her body. He stood watch over her the entire night.

The next morning was filled with agonizing explanations and arguments. Ivan, after watching Sheba all night, had walked over to the throne room the next morning to talk with Lady Layana and Hammet about what had happened over the night. He walked past the thick wooden doors, which were extraordinarily heavy, leaving Ivan with barely enough strength to open them, and towards the thrones. Hammet was usually up early, full of sayings like; 'the early bird gets the worm!' He really was a business tycoon at heart… Even at such an early hour he was going over the transactions of the previous day, while Layana still lay asleep in bed.

"Hammet, sir?" Ivan walked up to the man who was buried in stacks of parchment on a thick wooden desk.

"Ivan! My boy, how was your training?" A large grin had spread across the merchants face as he looked up to see his young apprentice.

"I have mastered it, master Hammet… But I need to talk to-"

"Good lad! You have grown so much in the last year… So much stronger… Your journey made you so much tougher than you were, such a small boy." Hammet's enthusiasm at seeing Ivan continued as he kept up his lively musing.

"Thank you, sir… But I really need-"

"And the wealth that you brought back! It was very gracious of you to give half your earnings to me, boy. I really appreciate it." He paused there, considering the great deed Ivan had done him.

"Sir! I need to talk to you about something!" Ivan took the momentary pause as a chance to cut off Hammet's rambling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ivan. I didn't mean to prattle on. What is it?"

"A friend of mine came during the night. Her name is Sheba. She has powers like mine."

"And where is she now?"

"On my bed. She's resting after a wolf attack that I happened to save her from last night."

"Wolves! We had better warn the guards… Wait wait wait, she's on your BED?" Hammet had stood up rapidly, knocking over several of the stacks of parchment, and slammed his fist on to the desk in reaction to the news before the second half of it had had a chance to sink in.

Ivan had hoped that he wouldn't catch on to that part so quickly…

"There were no others, sir."

"Ah, I see… Have you slept at all?" Again he paused, as he looked the young boy up and down.

"No, sir. I kept watch outside the room."

"She is one of your friends from your journey, correct?"

"Yes… She's from Lalivero, which is a close friend of Tolbi, across the Karagol."

"Ah, yes… I remember now. What do you propose to do about sleeping arrangements?" Ivan had finally gotten to the point he had been trying to make for the past five minutes, albeit in a more delicate fashion.

"Sir, I intend to let Sheba use my bed, and I will just have to make use of another. I would be good with just a pillow or two on the floor, if there are any to spare."

"No, Ivan… That just will not do… Ah, I have a solution. She could stay at the Inn?"

"I'll talk to her about that… When she wakes up. We spent a lot of time in Inns on our journey, as I recall." Ivan tried not to let any of his disappointment seep through to his voice.

"It is the best we can do. Off you go now, lad. Business is business, after all."

"Yes, sir." Ivan bowed, and left the room. He decided that if she wanted some other arrangements, Ivan would take her place in the inn and she could have his bed. Anything for her comfort. The castle really was rather small once you learned all of the passageways and such. He reached his room, and turned the latch ever so slightly and silently. He crept open the door inch by inch, until he could poke his head in the room. She saw him, and sat up,

"Ivan! How did you sleep?"

"I didn't." He said as he placed one hand behind his head and gave her a grin.

"Oh, where's your bed?"

"You're on it."

"… I don't remember getting on it though…" She began to take in her surroundings as she looked around the room.

"That's because I put you on it when you fell asleep." Sheba laughed at that. Ivan had always had a way with words. He could make people smile with ease.

"Weeeeell… You do look like you need some rest."

"You probably need it more than me. Those wolves pack a punch." Ivan countered with concern, noticing that despite her calmness, her hands were shaking slightly.

"Well, we can't sleep in the same bed, now can we?" Sheba joked, trying to reassure Ivan that she was fine.

"If you want, I'll set up shop in the Inn, and you can have my bed as long as you stay here."

"No, it's your bed… I'll go to the Inn."

"Are you sure? You do remember how uncomfortable it is in there…"

"Don't I ever… But it's the best we can do, right?" She questioned him carefully looking for a response. She was let down when he replied with a simple,

"I guess."

Ivan hated to see her in discomfort, and started thinking of something he could do. He was out of money after the knives and Hammet, so there was no buying another bed… He resolved to sleep on the matter, and put it out of his mind for the moment. Sheba was up now, and walking over to him. He had never noticed before how stunning she looked… With her blond hair the exact same shade as his… Her green eyes… Then he realized that he was staring, and quickly averted his gaze. Sheba had seen though, and proceeded to hug him in an embrace of death. Despite it cutting his air supply off, he enjoyed her being so close to him.

"Sheba, that hurts…" He gasped out, using the last of his air supply.

"Make more. You're a wind adept after all." She was glowing as she said that, highlighting her features, and it just made her look even more like a goddess.

"Did you read my mind?" He gasped, filling his air supply artificially.

"Maaaaaybeeeee…." She stared up at him with a sly smile and mischief in her eyes.

"Sheba…!" He playfully scolded her.

"Oh come on, It's not like you haven't read mine!"

"…" He paused, not knowing what to say to her.

"See?"

"Actually, I haven't." He averted his eyes from her. He hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly.

Sheba was thrown off by his remark. She had always assumed that Ivan would mind read indiscriminately, without caring about other peoples thoughts. She never dreamt that he would actually respect anyone's privacy… Her privacy…

"Oh… I- I… I'm sorry…" She tried to pull away from him, but Ivan was having trouble letting go of her.

"No, no… Don't apologize… I don't mind." He tried to keep her close, but the girl was slowly retreating away from him.

Why wouldn't he, Sheba thought to herself? She was invading his thoughts… Sheba felt terrible about it. She felt that she had created a rift between them, that she was burning the bridge she walked on.

"No, really… I am sorry… I assumed that, well…" She trailed off, realizing that she had assumed that he had no morals. She felt horrible, realizing what he must think she's implied.

"Sheba, really… Don't worry about it." He tried to smile down at her in an attempt at reassurance.

Sheba began to become concerned, had she made an irrevocable mistake? Now he would never like her… Her prince was forever out of her reach and it was all her fault. That's when she felt his arms around her. She realized that he was trying to comfort her… Why would he do that, when she was the one who had done wrong?

"Ivan… Why? I just invaded your thoughts, insinuated that you had no morals… You should hate me! Why are you comforting me?" She looked at him with confusion in her eyes and mind.

"Sheba, I don't like to see you in distress. I don't care that you read my mind… You do anything you feel like doing, and I like that about you. Please don't cry…"

Ivan was trying to make her feel better. He realized that he had made her feel bad about what she had done, and it tore him up inside to see her so sad. He couldn't stand the burden of knowing he was the one to make her so sullen, purposeful or otherwise. He hugged her, trying to reassure her that it was alright… But it seemed that the only way to make her stop feeling bad is to let her know how he felt about her… Ivan began to swallow his pride and drew the tearful girl closer, "Sheba… I-I…"

"Ivan?" Again she looked at him, but now, hope had mingled in with the confusion.

"Sheba… you can read my mind whenever you want. I don't mind." He was having trouble expressing what he felt, what he thought.

"Why, though? Why wouldn't you mind?"

"I can't explain it in words…" Ivan hoped she would get the hint, and filled his mind with all of the thoughts he had been having about her over the last year. Longing for her, every day here in Kalay; her beautiful green eyes filling his dreams… Her hair draping over her shoulders, making her look like a princess… or the most beautiful of ancient goddesses… Sheba glowed, and Ivan felt it. Her presence filled his mind, and he reveled in it. Her thoughts were clear and pure; like that of a precious gem… Her consciousness left him abruptly, filling him with a sense that he had lost a piece of himself instead.

"You… you really… Ivan?" Just as Ivan had been unable, Sheba could not conjure up the words to convey the new emotions that were filling her chest.

All he could do is hold her closer, her scent filling his nostrils. He just wanted her to stay there, forever…

"I thought I'd lost you last night…" He brought a hand to the back of her neck, holding her tight against him.

"I left Lalivero just to come find you, Ivan… But you found me first."

"You walked across half of Angara just to find me?"

"I couldn't live without you… I had to escape, they wouldn't let me leave to go find you."

Ivan was touched that she would do so much to come find him. He didn't want to leave the embrace, but finally Sheba remembered what they had been talking about. With regret, the two Jupiter adepts drew away from each other, only to stand staring into each others eyes for what can only be described as an eternity. They no longer needed to read each other's minds. Their thoughts had become unified, and inseparable.

"Well, I think I should head to the Inn and get a room…" She spoke quietly, unable to suppress the smile that radiated directly from her soul.

"Okay, Sheba… I have something to show you, when you get back. I'll wait at the entrance to the castle." Ivan drew her closer once more and kissed her lightly on the forehead, before watching her leave his room.

"…See you soon, Ivan." Sheba flew through the door, completely positive she had just become the happiest girl to reside upon Weyard.

Ivan threw himself down on his bed and reflected upon what just happened. It was quite the experience. In the span of five minutes they had gone from innocent flirting, to shock and discomfort, he found himself comforting her, and in the end their friendship blossomed into something so much more.

Sheba walked out of the castle feeling much better. Ivan really did like her… She practically started skipping all the way to the inn. She reached the door, turning the latch and walking into the room. There was a counter, with a man who had a nice scraggly black beard hanging from his chin. She walked over and requested a room.

"Excuse me. I need to rent a room."

"That's fine. That'll be 99 coins."

"Here you go." Sheba could not help but smile at the innkeeper. Her world just seemed brighter now.

She handed the coins over without hesitation, it wasn't much. She then explained that she wouldn't retire just yet, and left the Inn. The girl walked back to the castle with a spring in her step, not wanting to wait a minute to see her prince again. She reached the castle to find Ivan patiently waiting for her at the door. She got that familiar rush, a swelling of emotions in her chest when seeing him, but that died down soon enough.

"So, what did you want to show me?"

Her prince nodded off towards the horizon, so she took his arm and allowed herself to be led to the outskirts of town. She didn't mind going anywhere as long as it was with him. They kept walking past the townsfolk, passing house after house, and market after market. Everything was so much more open than in her hometown, and she stared at everything with wide eyes.

"The town is very… open…" Sheba had begun to take in the town to its full extent. When she first arrived… she wasn't given the chance. It really was quite amazing.

"Markets are not to be restrained by doors. Hammet and his ways. Still, he has a knack for business." Ivan's features curled as he mimicked Hammet's voice. It was good. Like he had been practicing.

"He sure does…" Sheba giggled quietly at him. He really was adorable.

She was then led into a story how his business success was sparked by the Wind adepts of Contigo, and he owed everything to them, including Ivan himself. She listened in awe as he described the selflessness of his parents, in giving him up to Hammet. That they would give up their only son to someone else, even if it was ordained by destiny… They reached the town gates, and passed them without incident. Ivan led her to a patch of trees not far from the gates, and Sheba wondered what he would show her.

"So, Sheba… Are you wondering what happened last night?" He had turned on the spot to face her.

"Yes…"

"Well, I was walking back from the woods, far out from Kalay. It was dark, but for some reason I could see clearly. When I reached a ledge, I could see out towards Kalay, and I saw the wolves surround you."

"I was looking at the stars… they were beautiful that night." Sheba once again looked towards the sky, the bright sunlight burning her eyes, but still she stared.

"Yeah… I didn't know it was you until you turned to face them. I ran out but I couldn't reach you in time. The lead wolf pounced…"

Ivan, instead of telling her what happened, showed her. He had been facing her, and suddenly his right arm shot out, pointing his fingers towards one of the trees. Sheba saw a dagger fly out, flip over, and impale itself in the tree's bark. Sheba stared openmouthed at the tree, where the cross guard and hilt were the only visible parts of the dagger.

"The daggers are coated with a sedative. The wolf didn't even know what hit it. I reached you before the wolves could work out what had happened, and…"

Sheba saw him throw back his cloak, revealing four double knife sheathes, each equipped with two daggers. She realized how much power it would take to throw all of those knives, and the Ivan she had grown to know simply did not possess that amount of power; but this was obviously not the same Ivan. He had grown stronger.

"When did you learn how to do this, Ivan?" Her words were quiet; she still had not overcome her awe at Ivan's demonstration.

"I've been in those woods practicing for the past week. I used to fall unconscious when doing this, because of the energy it took… But one time when I woke up, I suddenly had strength… I don't know why or how…"

Sheba stood and thought about this… Ivan had knives, and could throw them with deadly accuracy. The knives themselves were laced with sedatives, so even a graze will see an enemy fall.

"What would you do if soldiers came running at you… With armor. And shields."

"Well I would… I'd… be defenseless…" he concluded lamely. Sheba had just pointed out the flaw in his combat technique.

"Well, let's fix that right up!" With newfound enthusiasm Sheba ran off into the woods, scurrying from tree to tree, gathering bits and pieces from everywhere. She would make a nice little crash course of soldiers for him to practice on.

Ivan watched her run around the forest, and gazed in wonder as she came back with a bunch of stumps and sticks. What was she going to do with these?

"What are you planning?" He asked skeptically.

"You'll see!" And he did see. Sheba summoned up a twister, which blew everything around and into each other, and within seconds Ivan was staring at a dummy accurate in real life to soldiers.

"Okay… so, he's coming at me…" Ivan still wasn't sure exactly what she was planning.

"Wait, I need a sword."

Ivan unclipped his Kikuichimonji from his back and handed it to her. She stared at it, remembering it as the blade she had first seen him wielding. "You looked cute when you were using this little sword."

"Did not!" Ivan's face had flushed at hearing his combat style called 'cute.'

"Did so!" They laughed, and Sheba clipped the sword to the dummy's arm. It now looked like a soldier.

"Okay, so what do I do?"

"Improvise." She said with a shrug and a grin.

Ivan was standing a good twenty meters from the dummy, and suddenly it started charging at him; Sheba was moving its arms and legs with wind, which was simply amazing psynergy in and of itself. Not having time to marvel at Sheba's abilities, Ivan pulled out his left-handed dagger, threw it to his right hand, and stood at the ready for the advancing target. Its sword was in its right hand, held in its own ready position, its blade drawing a line from its shoulder to its waist. Ivan waited until it was a few meters away, and sprung into action. He lunged forward, shot out his left hand, and gripped the dummy's left arm. He then pulled himself with his arm, swinging behind it and stabbing it in the back, before catapulting himself off of its back with both feet. He landed in a forward roll, laughing. It just came natural to him.

"That was fun!" Ivan exclaimed through light pants.

"Yeah! Let's make more, and you could run a gauntlet through them!" Sheba was astounded with Ivan's skill.

"Okay!" Ivan spoke as he caught his breath.

Sheba ran off into the forest, and this time Ivan followed her. Ivan picked a few select branches from several trees, after taking his right arm dagger from its spot securely embedded in the tree. After finding several of these branches, he whittled away at it with his daggers until he had several makeshift weapons next to him. It hadn't taken long, with his razor sharp dagger. He walked out of the woods, finding Sheba with her materials, dropping several in a heap, then dropping more into another. Ivan took his makeshift weapons and laid each one beside a pile.

"Alright, we have our materials."

Sheba stood up from her last pile, and walked over to where Ivan stood. They were arranged in a circle around them, so Sheba could focus.

"Now, let's make our dummies!" Ivan held her hand, supplying the psyenergy for the cyclones. Sheba felt a rampage of energy soar through her body, lifting the hair on her neck as a rush of air passed between their faces. Powerful vortexes grew over each pile, sucking the air around them, and spinning it into a whirlwind. Several seconds passed, after which the cyclones had died out, leaving in their place several soldier dummies, each armed with their own weapon. Ivan had made other weapons than swords, including spears and staves too. Sheba arranged them in a line, with twenty meters separating each one.

"Okay, so I'm supposed to kill them all without throwing a dagger at them… Piece of cake."

He hoped. The first dummy ran at him, this one had a spear pointed at him. Ivan waited until the spear was almost upon him, then leaped into the air, using the dummies own spear as a springboard to launch him over the dummy, stabbing it in the back on the way down. Ivan then started to run at the next dummy, who conversely started to run at him. This one held a stave in the overhead block position, holding it with both arms. Ivan jumped, using the stave as a platform for him to land on. Without missing a step, he front flipped off of it, stabbing the dummy with a knife as his body was coming up from the flip, and landing with a thud on the ground. One knee was bent, the lower part of his leg touching the ground. Ivan raced towards the third dummy, this one with a sword in the ready position. As Ivan neared the target, the sword suddenly raised into the air to strike. Ivan thought fast, stopping just before the blade crashed to the ground, at which point Ivan lunged forward and stabbed the man in the chest. There were three more dummies to go, and these were arranged in a triangle, two to either side of him and one directly in front. Ivan didn't bother trying to kill these without throwing knives, and aimed each one directly at the neck. Ivan spun, sending the daggers flying towards their respective targets. His aim was true, and each dummy fell to the ground.

"That… was tough." Ivan said between pants, his strength failing him.

"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. That was amazing, Ivan." Sheba ran over and hugged him, holding him up in case he started to fall. Ivan hugged her back, feeling the familiar surge of happiness that came with being near Sheba. Then, after a good solid minute, he led her back to the city. They'd be back the next day.

Sheba slept well that night, but wished that Ivan was with her. For the first time, it was more than a longing for him to be near her, it was like a piece of her was missing. Whenever he was around, she felt… whole, somehow. It was as if he was part of her now. In the morning, the first thing she did after dressing herself was run over to the castle to find Ivan. There weren't many people up at this time of morning, and several citizens started to stare at the pretty young girl running through the streets, but Sheba was not in the mood to converse with the public. She had a certain blond haired Jupiter adept to find. She slid to a screeching halt in front of the castle portcullis, where there were two guards stationed.

"Halt, who goes there?" The guard spoke the familiar cliché in a tone of command.

"The name's Sheba. I'm looking for Ivan. Any clue where he is?" Sheba retorted, not willing to take orders from a guy she could flatten in a second.

"You insolent pup! You will respect my authority if you want to pass!" The guard was infuriated, raising his spear threateningly. The other guard stood impassively on the other side, not even caring about the exchange going on beside him.

Sheba looked the guard directly in the eye, which was tantamount to a challenge to most guards.

"Now now, those things are dangerous. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself…" Sheba calmly stated, not moving her eyes for a second. The guard raised his spear, and threw it with deadly force. A gust of wind blew from the side, pushing the spear to the side as if it was a leaf in the breeze.

"PHILLIP! STAND DOWN!" A low voice cried out from past the gates, infuriated to an extreme.

"Ivan, sir…" The guard looked ashamed and frightened.

"Did I just see correctly? Did you actually just throw your spear at an unarmed guest?"

"Sir, I-I…" The burly guard began to cower away as Ivan neared him.

"You're lucky that I have something to do today, or else I would report this directly to Hammet! As such, you are hereby reassigned to latrine duty for the next week. TO YOUR POST!"

"Y-yes sir!" The guard scurried away, clearly frightened of the man shouting the orders.

Sheba stood by, barely containing her laughter at the sight of a fully armored guard running away from a guy like Ivan. She figured that he'd only be able to do it here, so he might as well enjoy himself while he had the pleasure. As the guard scurried away, Ivan opened the portcullis with a gust of wind from below. Sheba ran towards him and squeezed him tightly by the waist. She was glad to be beside him again, after spending a whole night without him.

"Look who's big and tough now, when did you get so intimidating?" Sheba teased playfully.

"Sorry about that guy… Why on Weyard did he throw a spear at you?" Ivan queried, clearly wondering what had happened without him.

"He gave me attitude. He ought to know not to mess with people who are stronger than him." Sheba remarked throwing a hand in the air, as they started to walk down the street. Ivan groaned in exasperation.

"Sheba… Don't antagonize the guards, you'll get into trouble." He looked down at her, concern running across his face.

"Aww, why not? Its fun! You should try it!" Sheba laughed, skipping ahead. Ivan started running to catch up.

"Sheba, please stop that. If you want to stay here, people have got to like you." Ivan caught up to her, then had to skid as she abruptly slowed down, pondering what he had just said. She didn't want to leave, that wouldn't be fair to Ivan.

"Alright, Ivan. For you." Sheba spoke seriously this time, dropping her playful attitude from a few seconds ago. Ivan moved closer to her, hugging her and whispering in her ear:

"Thanks." And Sheba felt a rush of happiness flow through her at Ivan's touch. It felt good to be near him now, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Ivan drew back from the walking embrace, leaving his arm around the back of her neck. In truth, he had been very troubled that morning, as his dreams were getting worse. This time, he experienced the vision with more clarity that he had ever seen it in before. He needed to talk to her about this, and resolved to do it in their training spot.

"Ivan?" Sheba asked tentatively, waiting for a response.

"Yeah, Sheba?" He looked at her with a smile.

"I'm sorry for making that guard mad." Sheba looked at him, her eyes filled with genuine regret.

"It's okay, Sheba. Be sure to apologize to Phillip too." Ivan replied tenderly, accepting her apology. He couldn't stay angry at the beautiful Jupiter adept next to him.

"I'm not that pretty… am I?" Sheba asked mischievously. Ivan didn't mind the intrusion.

"Look for yourself." Ivan countered back, framing Sheba in his mind as he saw her: majestic and graceful, like a crown jewel. He felt her head press into his shoulder, and found Sheba resting with her eyes closed, enjoying the moment. They passed through the gates, and headed for the familiar patch of trees that marked their training site. They settled down under a nice patch of shade, enjoying the reprieve from the sun. Ivan decided to tell her about his dream now.

"Sheba… I've been having these dreams lately…" Ivan began, not sure where to start. Sheba was listening intently, so he continued:

"They start out really weird, then I see…" Ivan trailed off, being unable to describe in full what he had seen.

"That's alright, Ivan. Just show me." Sheba cut in, saving Ivan the trouble of explaining everything. Ivan smiled, then slipped his mind into the dream, feeling Sheba's clear thoughts among his own.

'_A deep fog swirled around him, solidifying into a dark sky. Looking up, there were no clouds, nor were there stars or Luna in the sky. It was an unnatural night, but he could not find its source. Looking down, he nearly threw up__as vertigo took his stomach. He found that he was miles up in the air. Down on the ground, he saw dark silhouettes standing around, looking up at him. There were hundreds of them, but he saw three guys and a girl in the middle of a circle of people, staring up at him as well. Being up so high unnerved him, but that was nothing compared to what he saw as he turned around. A giant dark sphere hovered in front of him, and it looked as if it could break up at any moment. The darkness swirled inside the ball, and Ivan could barely make out something inside of it… a book, the shadowy black tome was just barely visible framed amongst the dark background. In an instant, an explosion of darkness radiated outwards from the sphere, and Ivan was flung off his perch in the sky. He flew headfirst towards the ground, and the darkness enveloped him as his surroundings became one giant blur, falling faster and faster with every passing second.'_

Sheba sat up, her face draped with a frown, doubtlessly contemplating the implications of the dream. Ivan hoped that she would have some insight as to what was happening, but unfortunately, the only thing that she could come up with was that she had had a similar dream, only she saw herself being attacked by the wolves. They both realized that if the dreams were indeed visions, Ivan may be seeing himself falling! They dreaded what would happen next, as they had just found each other again, only to be torn apart so soon.

Sheba was experiencing great turmoil inside. Ivan's dream had reminded her of her own, sitting in that tree outside Venus lighthouse. She had seen the wolf attack much in the same way Ivan had seen himself in the air. All she could do was be there for him until it happened, and enjoy every second of their time together. The sun lowered in the sky, as they sat there under the tree, not saying a word to each other. They were close enough that they could understand each other without any words.

'_I just don't know what to do, Sheba… I don't even know where it is!'_

'_I don't either. Who are all of those people on the ground? It's all so weird… How on Weyard are you in the sky too? It doesn't make sense…'_

Their communications came to an abrupt end as they heard marching off in the distance, But nothing they could see was capable of making such an ominous noise. They climbed the tree they were sitting under and gazed out to the east. What they saw shocked them to their core. An army of Kibombo warriors were rounding the pass around the Karagol, and pillaging the dockside. Ivan and Sheba looked at each other, an unspoken message resonating between them: Run! They raced towards Kalay, like demons fleeing a holy man. The townsfolk all stared after them as they flew past them, heading toward the castle with frightening speed. Beside her, Ivan raised his arm, raising the portcullis with a gust of wind. They sprinted past it, Ivan opening the front door of the castle with a loud crash as it slammed into the wall beside it. They ran through the halls, rousing everyone from their duties in the process. Ivan didn't bother trying to open the throne room doors with his hands, blasting them with a tempest's fury. Inside, Hammet stood up, facing the commotion like a leader should: head on with determination.

"Ivan, what is all this racket? What is going on?!" Hammet questioned Ivan, straining to keep his voice level.

"Hammet, an army is at our doorstep. They traveled around the Karagol, and are tearing up the docks as we speak!" Ivan had trouble speaking it, he wanted to spit it out so fast.

"Master Hammet, The army looks to be soldiers from Kibombo. They're a tribe from past the mountains south of Tolbi. They are extremely warlike, we don't stand a chance if we don't rouse the soldiers fast!" Sheba was talking fast too, having met the Kibombo before. She knew exactly what they were up against. And it was terrifying.

"What are you talking about, those mountains are impassable!" Hammet was trying to reassure himself, an army was a frightening prospect to him.

"They have crossed mountains before. It is nothing new to them." Sheba returned, clearly knowing much about the Kibombo.

"Sheba, when did you visit Kibombo?" Ivan asked her, clearly not having heard this story before.

"The Kibombo attacked Madra, stealing Pier's black orb for his ship. We had to get it back." Sheba still spoke in a rush as their predicament weighed heavily upon her thoughts.

"Calm down you two. Guards! Get every man you can find to the town gates! We have a battle on our hands." Hammet spoke gravely, the gravity of the situation weighing down on him. Sheba followed Ivan back to his room, his eyes set in determination. They walked through the corridors in silence, both contemplating the situation at hand. What were the Kibombo seeking? Why did they cross an entire mountain range to attack us? Upon reaching his room, Ivan walked over to his closet, rummaging around inside it. Sheba patiently waited by the window, and heard a slight click as Ivan flicked a switch. The closet shuddered once, as Ivan withdrew, watching as the closet fell through the floor, a metal cabinet lowering from the ceiling to replace it. When it had completely set in the ground, Ivan opened it, unhooking a Mythril Vest and sliding it securely over his tunic, after taking off the double knife scabbards from his belt. Ivan then took out a harness from the cabinet as well, strapping it to his chest and sliding the knives he had just taken off of his belt into sheathes stitched into the bands of the harness. He then took out Masamune and Tisiphone Edge from the cabinet, clipping them to his back in an X pattern.

"Sheba." Ivan turned around to face her, his face serious. Sheba responded with a "Yes?"

"I want you to… stay behind during the fight. I don't want you to get hurt out there… I don't want to lose you…" Ivan spoke shakily, clearly having run this scenario several times in his head already. Sheba walked over and wrapped her arms around him one last time.

"Promise me… Promise me you'll come back alive." Sheba said through tears, knowing that this could be the end for him. Of them. Even if this wasn't part of his dream, he still could be killed out there. They both knew that there was only one way to stop a prophecy from happening: To kill the ones involved in it. Sheba felt his arms drape around her, as he whispered in her ear: "I promise."

Ivan stood at the head of the fighting force. The storm clouds were gathering, making a depressing situation even bleaker. Scavenger birds flew in a circle around the battlefield, deafening the soldiers with their shrieks. Facing Kalay's finest, a small army of Kibombo warriors, garbed in thick green and brown tunics and headdresses, and all were holding a spear of some sort. Both armies were armed with spears, Kalay's being very precise and neat, while the Kibombo's rocky spears had been worn out through countless battles. It was clear that Kalay was doomed save for a miracle: They could not stand against such a warlike nation. One of Ivan's fellow warriors walked up next to him, it was the field commander for Kalay's army.

"Ivan. You have seen combat before, I trust. What is your opinion of our opponent?" The soldier knew who was the more experienced here, and as such, he yielded to Ivan's advice.

"These warriors are combat hardened and warlike. They will not be beaten easily. Without a miracle, we will all die here today." Ivan spoke clearly and without emotion, not willing to fill the man with false hope. Ivan himself intended to fight to the last, and if there were no chances of victory, flee with Sheba to Vault. At all costs, Ivan would survive, for his princess's sake. For his promise.

"You speak the truth, Ivan. The soldiers all pray to Sol, will you join us?" The commander questioned in hope.

Ivan turned to the man, grasping his hand firmly. "I will. It was a pleasure to know you, my friend."

The man shook hands with Ivan, closing his eyes and praying to Sol for a miracle. Ivan joined in, but was not so foolish as to close his eyes. The battle could start at any moment. One of the enemy soldiers stepped out from the ranks, speaking in a loud voice so all could hear.

"We come for the Book. If you do not comply with our demand, you will all be slain. The choice is yours." The warrior spoke in a thick accent, and having completed his task, stepped back into the ranks. Ivan sensed that the time had come. Stepping out, he countered back:

"We have no book. If you wish to fight us, then I guess that is what you must do. But know this: You will not find victory so easily. All of our blood will stain the earth before you set foot inside our home!" Ivan finished, drawing Masamune from his right shoulder in one fluid motion. He twirled it once in his hand, setting into a battle stance.

"KALAY! CHARGE!!" Ivan screamed out, rushing into battle. Hell had come to Weyard. As if to signify the start of the battle, the skies darkened, and a bolt of lightning speared to the ground between the two armies. This was it; there was no going back now. Both armies collided with force, as the clangs and dins of battle rang out in the field. Ivan drew his other sword with a flourish, charging towards the first soldier. The warrior ran at him, stabbing outward towards him with his spear. Ivan deftly leaped on top of it, springboarding over the man and slashing at his back as he came down, just as in his training it came so easily and naturally to him. Ivan now began a dance of mortal combat, slashing out with his swords at whatever enemy came close to him. Soon, he had reached the middle of the enemy army, and was surrounded by a circle of sharp spear points. He had been encircled, and could not get an advantage with all of them facing him. He sheathed his swords, and spun around, pushing outwards with both arms and sending his daggers flying towards the enemy. The boy, whom was just surrounded by deadly spear points, now lay crouching in the middle of a circle of corpses. Sheathing his daggers again, Ivan drew Masamune and ran to the left, shouting:

"RISING DRAGON!" As he slashed down with the sword, a burning blue dragon emanated from the sword, flying in an arc towards one warrior. In the same movement, he also swung upwards, releasing a second dragon flying towards another warrior. Ivan then drew the Tisiphone Edge from its sheath and ran at another warrior, dodging the spear and slashing the man in the chest. Turning around, he met a soldier who was using his spear as a staff, swinging down upon Ivan's head with brute force. Ivan blocked it with the Tisiphone edge, which sent it flying out into the battlefield. He had lost one of his swords. Infuriated, he ran at the man, shouting:

"SPARK PLASMA!" It had been so long since he had used this spell, the storm was only large enough to envelop the warrior he was fighting, but the lightning was enough to force the man to fall to the ground, leaving him burnt as nothing more then another casualty of Ivan's vengeance. Gripping Masamune with both hands, he ran to the right, breaking another warrior's spear with his blade. He then stabbed the man in the chest, sending blood flying out of the wound. But Ivan was already gone, blocking blow after blow of spears, until he was caught off guard, and Masamune was knocked aside. Instead of falling to the ground, defeated, Ivan slashed outward with his arm as if he still had a sword in his hand. The warrior laughed until he felt a searing pain in his chest, and fell to the ground, dead. Ivan held both daggers now, rushing at another warrior, this one was expecting him to stab him like the other one, and held his spear to block the knife. Ivan grabbed his arm and swung behind him, landing both feet onto the man's back, and stabbing him with his left hand dagger. He launched off of the man's back, straight towards another warrior who had his back turned to Ivan. Both warriors fell to the ground, knocked out by the sedatives Ivan had coated the daggers with. Ivan turned to face another tribesman, and ran at him. Unfortunately, the warrior chose that moment to raise his spear, and Ivan felt the sharp tip pierce his Mythril vest. He fell to the ground, dropping both of his daggers next to him. It was all over. He had broken his promise. With his last breath, he whispered:

"Sheba…"

Sheba stood by, watching the two armies face off each other. Ivan had shown her a spot northeast of Kalay where she could watch the battle, and had told her if he died, that she should run. She watched as a messenger of Kibombo stepped out from the ranks, and heard his loud barking voice clearly. She knew that he was talking about the Tomagethericon, a dark book they had found in Kibombo with frightening powers. One morning, Felix had exclaimed that it was gone, and after searching the ship, none of them found it. Ivan countered back, and the battle began. Sheba decided to have a little fun, spearing down a bolt of lightning to start the battle. She saw Ivan take off like a jackal, leaping off of one warriors spear and slashing him in the back on the way down. She smiled, remembering that move from their practice.

"Ivan… be careful." She whispered, wishing desperately that he could hear her now. The swarming bodies of the warriors blocked her view of Ivan for a second, and she lost track of him after that. She looked frantically through the army ranks, trying to see the blond haired Jupiter adept, but he was nowhere to be found. Wait, there he was! He was surrounded by the warriors, their spears creating a ring of death. She knew that this wouldn't stop him, and wasn't disappointed when he twirled around, shooting out daggers in a flurry of movement. He summoned them back, and Sheba began to hope that they might win the battle, despite the other army's battle experience. She saw him run off to the side, unleashing Rising Dragon upon an enemy combatant, and another one at his partner. He drew his other sword, but was caught unawares and it flew from his hand. Sheba's heart nearly stopped, but then she saw a Spark Plasma above the man, and her heart lifted again. He could do this.

"C'mon Ivan… You can do it…" She tried to reassure herself, but the odds were against him, as she soon saw. He saw him break the spear of another warrior, and stab him in the chest with his sword. He twirled around again, blocking spear after spear, until one knocked the weapon out of his hands. If the swords were his only weapon, Sheba would have been scared right about now, but he had his daggers. The warrior caught one right in the chest, and slumped to the ground as the narcotic spread through his system. Ivan ran at another soldier, swinging around the man, stabbing him in the back, and leaping off of it into another man who had his back turned. Sheba smiled, recognizing another move from training. But his luck was not to last long, as fortune would have it. Ivan ran headlong into another man's spear, and Sheba's heart skipped a beat. Surely his vest would stop it… But no, Ivan slumped to the ground, dropping his daggers which embedded themselves in the soft ground.

"IVAN! NO!!" Sheba was about to run into the fray when a voice halted her advance.

"Sheba, wait!" The new voice called out behind her, soft and tender. Sheba turned around to find Mia walking steadily toward her. Sheba ran into her arms, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Ivan was dead, what more was there to live for… Wait, why was Mia here?

"Mia, why are you here?" She spoke in sobs, unable to stop the tears flowing from her eyes as well as her heart.

"Isaac, Felix, Jenna, and I were in Tolbi when the Kibombo attacked without warning. They didn't stand a chance, as they slaughtered innocents in the streets. It was horrible. We fled, hoping to stop this from happening here." Mia smiled down at the weeping girl.

"So, Isaac and Felix are out there, fighting?" Sheba asked hopefully. If the boys were there, then there was a chance that Ivan might not die. They were two of the mightiest warriors to reside upon Weyard, and she knew it. Surely an army, no matter its size, could do nothing to stop them.

"Yes, and Jenna too. She's not one to wait on the sidelines like us." Mia laughed, clearly admiring the headstrong Mars adept. Sheba turned her eyes to the battle, and saw a giant earthen spire where Ivan's body used to lie. She sank to her knees, thanking Sol that her friends were here.

Another warrior fell to Isaac's Gaia blade, as an earthen Ragnarok speared him from below.

"C'mon Felix! Ivan's in trouble!" Isaac shouted over the roars of war behind him, breaking another spear with his blade. Felix came right up beside him, wielding a Ragnarok in each hand. The massive swords glowed, gleaming with pure energy. He had enough psynergy now to conjure two at once, and keep them solid for as long as he needed.

"Dammit Ivan… Why did you have to go and die before we got to you!" Felix yelled back, charging headlong into another warrior, who crumpled with the blow that was dealt to his head, cleaving it clean off. Isaac ran through the opening to Ivan, which had just appeared through the horde of soldiers, shouting:

"Felix, cover us! STONE SPIRE!" Giant stone spires impaled themselves around Ivan and Isaac, insulating them from the ensuing battle. Isaac quickly broke the shaft of the spear where it stuck out through his chest, and slid it out. He laid Ivan down on his back, placing both hands on his wound.

"Potent Cure…" He summoned Venus energies into his hands, funneling them into the comatose boy's body. The wound shimmered with a golden light, and the hole began to stitch itself back together again. Isaac watched as a large portion of the energy was deflected, as if Ivan's element was rejecting his magic. The healing stopped, as the energy dissipated.

"SOL DAMNIT! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE YOU IVAN!" Isaac shouted, standing up from his kneeling position over Ivan's frail form. The anger at his spell being rejected surged through his body, transforming into pure energy. A golden sphere grew in his chest, and Isaac rose from the ground, pure white wings erupting from his back. The golden ethereal light spread through his entire body, and he shouted over the clang and din of battle:

"RESURRECTION!" A single ray of light speared down from the heavens, right through Ivan's wound. A golden staircase wound down around the bolt, lifting Ivan slightly off of the ground by his chest. A gray sphere fell from the sky along the ray, and absorbed itself into Ivan's body. Immediately, the color returned to his cheeks, and he started to breathe. Isaac fell to the ground again, the glow fading from his body, as Ivan awoke.

"Am I in… Heaven?" Ivan must have thought Isaac was an angel. Isaac shook his head, and the wings faded as the glow died out completely.

"I-Isaac?" Ivan was surprised to see the warrior at his side.

"Yeah, don't strain yourself. You don't die and still move around like that, man." Despite his concern, he couldn't resist making jokes. The stone spires ground themselves into the earth, revealing dead bodies all around them. Isaac heard Felix's voice, and he paled.

"KINGDOM GAIA!!" In a deep, grave voice, Felix shouted over the sounds of battle, and Isaac exclaimed,

"No! He can't handle that damn spell!" Isaac pulled Ivan up from the ground, looking around for Felix.

As the earthen spires rose from the ground, Felix cursed. He was forced to fend for himself. Smiling, he realized that that was just how he liked it. Unfortunately, that was when he saw Jenna, twirling her staff and sending a rain of fire down upon the warriors. Letting out a bellow of rage, Felix took off after her, summoning two more Ragnaroks for each hand. There were now two Ragnaroks attached to his arms, one right below his palm, the other hovering right over his hand. Felix spun about, slashing outward with his blades indiscriminately, sending blood, limbs and bodies into the air until there was a hole wide enough to reach Jenna. He shouted at her:

"JENNA! I TOLD YOU TO STAY BACK!" Jenna finished shooting off a Cycle Beam at a group of warriors, before retorting back,

"When have I ever listened to anything you say, Felix?!" Inwardly, Felix cursed her foolhardiness, but then again, that was his sister alright. He stood at her side, stabbing out with his blades if anyone got too close. After a few seconds, the Ragnaroks faded and he drew out the majestic Sol Blade from its sheath on his back. Jenna shouted back,

"'Bout damn time you started to use that thing! We really could use a meteor right now!"

Felix frowned, yelling back, "That would kill everyone here. Let's not do that." Laughing, he swiped at a Kibombo warrior who got too close, knocking his spear out of his hand. The man quickly backed off, before being burnt to a crisp by Jenna's Flare Storm.

"There's too many! We'll never win!" Jenna yelled, clearly worrying about the size of the Kibombo army. Felix pondered the matter, then decided to do something drastic.

"Jenna, duck." Jenna didn't need to be told twice, as Felix channeled massive amounts of raw Venus energy from the land around him, shouting out in a deep gravelly voice:

"KINGDOM GAIA!!"

A crack appeared at Felix's feet, from which a golden light emanated. At first, the hole was tiny, but then the crack grew into a gaping hole that engulfed dozens of soldiers, as palace sized boulders rose from the chasm. The soldiers were caught in an inversed landslide, and as the spell ended, the crack closed itself. Felix fell to the ground, utterly exhausted by the spell's massive energy demand. From the ground, he could see Isaac and Ivan run towards him, supporting him under their arms. Felix looked around, and saw that they were surrounded on all sides. They could not escape this time. Before they could say their goodbyes, a voice rang out over the battlefield.

"AKAFABU! SHOW YOURSELF!" It was Sheba. Felix saw her, as the army parted before her, everyone having stopped fighting to watch the girl holding the little black book.

"Sheba!" Ivan shouted out, upon seeing his princess walk past him. He raced towards her, stopping as the soldiers separating them raised their spears. There they were, right across from each other, yet so far apart. Sheba turned to look at him, and Ivan stepped back in shock. Her eyes were pure black.

"Felix! What in Sol is happening?!" Ivan cried out in confusion.

"When we made our visit to Kibombo, the guardian deity called the Great Gabomba spoke to us of magic that Akafabu needed, but he was too hasty in leaving the statue. The deity said that if we got to it first, we could claim it as well. We came back shortly after and claimed the Tomagethericon. I thought we'd lost it, but it looks like Sheba hid it for some reason." Felix spoke calmly, although he understood the gravity of the situation. There could be no mistaking it: the Tomagethericon had possessed Sheba. The Jupiter adept calmly walked past the sea of warriors until she reached the heart of the Kibombo army, where Akafabu stood, waiting for her.

"There it is! You stole our magic! We demand that you give it back!" Akafabu was livid, having finally found the magic he had been seeking.

"Akafabu, you have yet to earn this magic for yourself. If you do not desist, I will show you the true power you lack." Sheba spoke in a low tone, making it obvious that it was the accursed little book that was really speaking.

"Nonsense! You stole this magic, and now you tell me I have yet to earn it? Bah! Warriors, advance!" Akafabu barked out his orders, and the army all raised their spears.

"If you will not desist, then you leave me no choice." Sheba was still as calm as ever, and raised her right arm, opening the book. The pages flipped of their own accord, and Ivan caught glimpses of horrible scenes of poisoned victims, and charred corpses. At last, the book turned to the last page, with only a picture of Sol inscribed upon it.

"Headless Warrior! Wielder of the Fulminous Edge! I call upon you, Dullahan! Guardian of the light!" Sheba's voice was mixed in with the book's voice this time, and her form shimmered, and emanated darkness. The Sol inscribed in the book glowed golden, and the picture moved, as if the sun was really captured inside of the Tomagethericon. The pages started to turn again, slowly at first; but they began to speed up with frightening force. They continued to turn even when the pages had run out, having an unlimited supply somehow. A dark orb appeared within the spine of the book, growing to envelop the book entirely, before splitting, and enveloping Sheba's hands. When the dark cloud faded away, Sheba's wrists held chain bracelets.

"Sheba!" Ivan's voice rang out, but to no avail. Sheba couldn't hear him. Her hands cupped themselves, and her left slid over her right. A sinister crackling sound rang out, and a dark sphere was growing between her two hands. As it grew, her hands moved outwards with it, as if it were solid. When the sphere was as large as her head, she drew her right arm back, and threw it into the air. The sphere flew towards the sun, growing hungrily every second. As it got closer and closer to its destination, darkness fell upon the battlefield as the sun was eclipsed.

"Felix, if Dullahan is guardian of the light, why is she making darkness?" Ivan asked, raising a valid point.

"How do you expect me to know, Ivan? We never did use that thing…" Felix threw back at him. The battlefield was covered in night, and for a few seconds, nothing could be seen. Suddenly, a hole opened in the dark sphere, shining a desolate ray of light on a spot directly in front of Sheba. She stepped back, knowing exactly what was happening, but Akafabu did not have a clue. He had been watching, realizing too late what he had done. The ground where the ray of sunlight fell rumbled and quaked, as one hand pushed through the soil. Then another came after it. Dullahan pulled himself from the depths of the Earth, summoned by the dark forces that compelled him to guard the light.

"Gabomba, what is your will?" A voice rang out from nowhere, as Dullahan spoke through a mouth he did not have.

"A lesson must be taught. Kill the army of Akafabu. Leave the Kalayans and anyone who is not associated with Kibombo. Let this be a dark day in history for their tribe." Sheba's voice rang out in the darkness, cold and unfeeling. It spoke in unison with the Tomegathericon and the voice of Kimbombo's god. The warrior of the light obeyed, as a bolt of lightning materialized in one of its hands, congealing into a sword. In a flash of light, several warriors fell to the Fulminous Edge. Its voice spoke again,

"True Collide…" Instantly, the life force was drained from another group of Kibomboans. They just stood there, staring up at the giant suit of armor. They were trained not to run, they would stare death in the face as they met their maker. Ivan could not bear to see more deaths, and shouted out desperately,

"AKAFABU! CALL IT OFF! DON'T LET MORE DIE FOR YOUR MISTAKE!" Ivan screamed out, unable to contain it any longer. There were a few seconds where nothing could be heard, save for the raspy breathing of hundreds of men. Then, a voice rang out,

"Great Gabomba, I am sorry! Please stop this! I'll do anything!" His voice was desperate, pleading… The first time any had heard this voice from Akafabu. Sheba's lips curled into a wicked smile, as the darkness faded from her. Gradually, shadows faded into twilight, as the dark sphere began to dissipate. Dullahan crumbled, sinking into the ground to await further commands for all eternity. Sheba's eyes began to regain a tinge of green, as she finally grew control of her own body again. The only ties she had to the Tomagethericon now were a desire to teach Akafabu a lesson. The chains around her arms shimmered, and suddenly they connected, as link after link appeared in the sky, chaining her to the ball of darkness. Ivan saw what was happening, and cried out,

"SHEBA! NO!" But he was unable to stop the inevitable. Felix had to hold him back from running to her side, as the chains tensed, pulling her toward her doom. It was clear to both of them now what Ivan had seen in his dream; this was Sheba's fate, not his. Before the chains could overcome her completely, Sheba ran towards Akafabu, grasping his arm in a death grip. She was pulled to the sky by the chains, and Akafabu with her. Ivan no longer could see clearly what was happening to her. Tears streamed down his eyes as he realized that that was the last he would see of her. Felix tried to comfort him, but he knew just as well that there was no hope for her.

Sheba was pulled towards the sky with deadly force by the chains around her wrists. They were not directly pulling upon her, rather the air around her, so she could feel the tug on her whole body. She held onto Akafabu the entire way, not willing to let him fall, crashing to the ground was far too lenient a death. He deserved pain. The sphere of darkness grew closer, and Sheba was struck with its enormity. It was like a colossal tempest, swallowing everything into its maw. She could see small things like dust and bits of dirt flying into the jaws of the beast, and Sheba knew that she was on the dinner course. Suddenly, the book appeared in her left hand, which was not holding Akafabu. A plan dawned upon her at the last minute.

"Akafabu, you will die with the power you crave most. Know that your lust for power led you to your demise." She threw the book into the vortex, and watched it sail into the maw of the tempest. She could still see it, as it radiated power. It hungered for a sacrifice to destroy the beast. Sheba pulled Akafabu up, pressed both feet into his chest, and looked into his eyes as she said one more thing to him.

"I don't pity you for a second." She let go of him completely, kicking out with all her might at Akafabu. He soared into the hole of darkness, which hungrily devoured his soul. Sheba stood in midair, as the chains around her dissolved like dust. She could look at her surroundings on her lofty perch. She saw the sky, light blue as the ocean. She saw the warriors on the ground, all staring up at her. She saw Felix, staring at her with his cold brown eyes, which held no emotion. She saw Jenna, staring up at her with her dull red eyes that begged the gods to keep her safe. She saw Isaac, with his crystal clear blue eyes, watching her with concern. She saw Ivan, with his violet eyes staring up at her, tears falling onto his cheeks. She turned around to face the mass, waiting for the inevitable shove off the mortal coil.

Ivan watched his princess kick Akafabu into the dark storm, and saw her stand impassively into the vortex. He could barely see her look down at him, and he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Ivan knew what would happen next, although his companions might not have. He knew that she would fall, and that would be the end. He couldn't stop it, no matter what he did, and that realization ate at him. He gazed up at her as the black hole exploded, and she was sent flying headfirst towards the ground. Ivan pushed off Felix as he tried to stop him, and ran towards her. He shoved the men in his way to the side, and time seemed to slow as he neared her. He felt step after agonizing step, an eternity from one to the next. He leapt, meeting the goddess in midair, before flipping over and crashing onto the ground. Ivan took the full shock of the landing as Sheba crashed her frail body into him. They both lay there as their friends rushed towards him. Sheba was breathing slowly, but breathing nonetheless. Ivan was not.

Isaac ran towards the landing site, his heart skipping a beat as he saw his friends lying there. He barely registered that he was speaking as he heard a voice talk,

"Felix, you heal Sheba. I'll take Ivan." The voice was shaky, and barely rose above a whisper. Somehow, Felix got the message, lifting Sheba off of Ivan and setting her down next to him. He put his hand on her chest, and Isaac could hear him say:

"Potent Cure…"

Isaac wished that Ivan were so fortunate to still be breathing. Reaching out towards him, Isaac let out a barrage of golden sparks, enveloping his broken frame with golden light. As before, his body rejected most of the energy, and Isaac felt tears fall from his eyes. He wasn't strong enough to bring him back now.

"Isaac. Let me help you." Mia was beside him now. Isaac didn't even register that she had disobeyed his request to stay behind. He was next to him now, and the golden sparks were replaced by soothing aqua tears. Ivan began to recover, slowly but surely. Beside him, Jenna was next to Felix, lending her Cool Aura to Felix's cure spell to tend to Sheba's wound. In the span of a few minutes, Ivan was awake, but Sheba was still unconscious.

"Ivan! Thank Sol… I'd thought I'd lost you there…" Isaac's voice cracked up as his friend came back to life. All he received was a curt nod, as the Jupiter adept stood up, dusting himself off. Without a word, he tenderly lifted Sheba to his chest, and walked towards Kalay. Isaac didn't mind, because at heart he knew that Ivan was grateful. Felix stood up beside him, and for once Isaac saw a glint of compassion in those dark brown eyes of his. He felt Mia's arms around him, as her head fell upon his shoulder. He put an arm over hers, and watched them walk away into the sunset. The spell holding the armies broke at that moment, as both groups regained their ability to move. The army of Kalay cheered as the Kibombo warriors retreated to the east. The four adepts followed Ivan soon after, intending to oversee the aftermath of the bloody battle.

"Friends, countrymen, we gather here today to give our regards, and pay our last respects to those who gave their lives to save ours." The Great Healer of Kalay stood at the podium, gazing out at the crowd that had gathered to attend the funeral. All of Kalay had come to honor their saviors. They sat in the newly renovated graveyard, having little death in Kalay in several years, until now.

"Kalay, these are the people who fought for us, died for us, and protected us, and we must send them off with the respect they deserve, for these are the proud soldiers who lived and died for this city!" The Great Healer raised his voice to a shout at the end, commanding all who listened to honor the brave men who died for their beloved Kalay. Next to him, Ivan stood by, waiting to give his part of the eulogy. Frontmost in the audience were the heroes who came to the town's aid. Isaac and the other guys were garbed in formal suits, and fidgeting uncomfortably during the entire speech. Jenna and Sheba wore beautiful black silk dresses. Sheba had tears in her eyes from the emotion of the Great Healers words. The man stepped down, having finished his part of the service. Ivan stepped up to the podium, and gazed at the crowd.

"My fellow citizens of Kalay, you knew these people. These were your friends, your family, and your dutiful protectors. They fought in your hour of need, and gave their lives for their city. We should not only mourn their passing, not only celebrate their life, but honor their commitment and their bravery on the field of battle!" He himself was overcome with emotion at the losses of that day. Most of those soldiers were his dear friends.

"Let us all pray to Sol, that these brave warriors be granted passage into the afterlife, and may meet their maker with their heads held high!" His speech had ended, but the service was far from over. Ivan stepped off of the podium, walking to his seat in the front of the audience next to Sheba. Hammet now would say his piece, then read the names of the fallen.

"Kalay, these men lost their lives fighting for this city, but we must not only mourn our losses… Tolbi was also a victim of the attack, and suffered losses much more severe than our own. We must lend our support in these times of hardship, and hope that a new dawn is coming just over the horizon." Hammet himself had tears forming in his eyes, as he read the names of the fallen. Ivan shed tears as well, as the fallen deserved to be mourned perhaps more than any other. Ivan recognized most of the names that were called out, and that made their passing all the more bitter in his mouth. Phillip, the guard that had thrown the spear at Sheba had passed away during the battle, and Ivan held Sheba in his arms as she wept for his passing. She had not apologized to him before the battle, and now he was gone; Sheba would never get a chance to tell him. The crowd gathered in a line in front of a tombstone to give their final blessing and pray for the fallen, and Ivan was the first in line. He kneeled down, praying for their salvation in the afterlife. He walked back to his seat, his head in his hands. He had never experienced loss like this before, and it pained him in his heart. Sheba soon sat next to him, and her touch eased the pain in his heart. Next to him was the field commander whom he had prayed with at the start of the battle, who was sitting down and giving him a nod. They both knew their prayers had been answered, but no wars can be fought without a sacrifice.

The crowd finished saying goodbye to the soldiers, and as the last finished her prayer, an elderly woman Ivan remembered as part of an old couple who resided in Kalay, and they all left the graveyard, heading to the Great Hall of the castle where a feast to honor the fallen had been erected. The six adepts seated themselves at the head of the table, and were given an opportunity to catch up on their lives of the past year. Mia and Isaac were engaged, and travelling with Felix and Jenna to Tolbi for leisure. Isaac and Felix had taken on work as carpenters, and basic handymen for any job. Mia had decided to stay in Vale, and the town benefited from her superior healing abilities. Garet was still learning how to be a mayor, and had declined to travel with them. Piers was away in Lemuria, his banishment having been lifted by King Hydros. Felix had someone who had caught his eye back in Vale, but wouldn't tell them who it was. Jenna was considering Garet, but his clumsiness and stupidity kept outweighing his kindness and sensitivity. The others were all surprised for a second at Sheba's escape of Lalivero, but then remembered Sheba's personality. Ivan showed them his knives, and his newfound strength, by hurling one at frightening speed toward the door. After pulling it back and being chastised by Hammet, the rest of the party laughed uproariously. Sheba told the story of how the book spoke to her, and she decided to hide it away when it started opening by itself, showing her pictures of charred corpses and poisoned victims. She had never been possessed by it before though. Ivan and Sheba decided to add their skills to the reconstruction of Tolbi, which had been hit severely by the attack. The feast ended with a toast to Kalay's finest, which everyone partook of with great enthusiasm.

Alone in his room with Sheba, Ivan leaned against the wall, dealing with his grief in his own unique way: keeping it inside, then letting it flow out of him through his psynergy when he was alone. Sheba was on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The silence dragged on, until she broke it in a shaky, teary voice:

"Why…? Everyone died because of that stupid Akafabu…" Sheba let out her tears, and started pounding the mattress with her fists. "WHY?! IT ISN'T FAIR!" She screamed out, unable to contain her rage. Ivan walked over to her as she sat up, and Ivan put his arms around her to comfort her.

"This is life, Sheba… Crazy things happen, sad and horrible things… Some people die for nothing, sometimes all because someone wanted more land, or more money… At least those men died to defend the people of this city…" Ivan tried to reassure her that those people had died for something, at least, but Sheba just started to cry more.

"I led them here, Ivan… They were looking for the book, and I led them here…" Sheba said quietly, more tears flowing with every passing second. Ivan had already thought of this, and looked her in the eyes as he said:

"Sheba, there was nothing you could do. If you hadn't left Lalivero, they would have killed everyone there too. At least you came to a place that could stop them." The tears stopped coming, as Sheba buried her face in his shoulder. Sheba soon fell asleep, and Ivan laid her down, covering her with the blankets like he had the first night. Ivan kissed her forehead, and silently retreated from the room, closing the door. He walked out of the castle and through the city like a ghost. He practically glided upon the brick road, until he found himself at the city gates. And still he walked. He walked until the moon shone high in the sky, and he found himself miles away from the city. He stopped in the middle of a plain, and looked into the sky. He let his grief and rage pour out of his soul, as his psynergy flowed from his mind, overloading every pore of his body with pure energy. Ivan was sheltered in the eye of the storm, a tornado raging about him. And still he did not relent. His spirit mourned every soldier that had lost their life in the battle, and the tears flowed freely from his eyes. The tempest lasted for hours, the wind finally dying down as Ivan fell to his knees, shedding one last tear for the lives lost. He looked to the horizon, where the sun broke through the clouds and shone its first rays upon his eyes. Ivan wasn't sure, but he could swear that he could see shooting stars, flying towards the sunrise. He smiled, knowing that the fallen had found their heaven, as everyone's prayers washed over them and guided them safely to the gods.

Thank you everyone, for reading this 20000 word behemoth. This all started as a dream over vacation, and exploded into this whole story. I would like to thank NonFiction, who has contributed enormously to the final draft of this story, having lended his writing expertise several times, and editing for me in places where I suck. (Love scene, everyone.) I would like to commend this writer for his amazing talent, and his ability to help others trying to turn their visions into reality. If you haven't read his story 'The Sixth Harmony', then I suggest you do, as it is very well written and is a great story. I would also like to thank SolStone, for reading the fic ever since it was only 12000 words. :D He's my new best friend, and I would like to once again, thank him for stayin with me. I would also like to note: the fulminous edge is in fact the formina sage in-game, the formina sage being a translation error from the Japanese version. Thank you to Lboksha on the Gamefaqs forum for this information. I thank you again for reading this mammoth of a chapter, and I would now reward you with more updates to my other story, Gone with the Waves.


	10. Rising Dragons

Rising Dragons

Disclaimer: Golden Sun is not mine. However, this idea is, so no stealing .

"What? Say that again, Ivan…" Isaac was in his room, while Ivan sat opposite him on a chair. Vale had long since been rebuilt, and most of the gang had opted to stay. Only Piers decided to leave, saying that he had to try to return to Lemuria. They all missed him from time to time, but they knew that he had to go. Ivan was just telling the blond-haired Venus adept about his latest vision.

"Well… I saw a great dragon rise out of the sky in the distance. It shrieked loudly before fading away… Then it all went black, before a spotlight shone on Masamune. Two great rising dragons emanated from the blade… Then one disappeared." Ivan told him again, and Isaac drank in the knowledge. The dragons were not hard to figure out… it had to be Saturos and Menardi, because the other pair of dragons had died in the Mars Lighthouse.

"So… they're back…" Isaac mused, rubbing his chin. They had not seen hide or hair of them since they had fallen into the lighthouse, and the group had presumed the pair of Mars adepts dead. Yet this vision could only mean one thing…

"Thanks for telling me. I'll take Masamune around with me… Don't tell anyone else, okay? I have a feeling that they'll come for me. I don't want anyone else involved." Isaac told his Jupiter adept friend, who nodded. They headed out of his house soon after, to feel the sunshine upon their faces once again. It was good to be home, Isaac thought…

________________________________________________________________________

Saturos was walking. He was not running, he was not watching, not waiting… He was walking. Why should he be walking? He and Menardi had both died upon the lighthouse aerie, defeated by Isaac. Yet here they both walked, side by side, through the thick jungles and arid deserts. Their purpose was clear: revenge. They would hunt down the one who had killed them, no matter the cost. Neither knew how they had survived, all they could remember was a great golden light shining upon them, and a burning rage fueling their bodies.

"Saturos, where are we now?" His companion asked behind him. Saturos grunted, irritated that she had broken the silence that he so preferred.

"The forest outside of the Suhulla Desert." He said swiftly, before returning to his silent brooding. Saturos the Great was known for this, and his partners all hated him for it. But there was nothing to be done about it. The great Mars adept was good at what he did. After a few more minutes of walking, they emerged from the forest to find the bride to Tolbi.

"Shall we?" His partner asked him, to which he responded with a wicked smile.

"We shall."

The days passed quickly in Vale, what with the construction projects going on. The hustle and bustle of the citizens as they moved about was music to Isaac's ears as he repeated the same motion. One pound of his hammer to the next, he knelt in intense focus, his mind wandering through this and that while his body worked tirelessly. He could have built hundreds of houses per day with his psynergy, but where was the challenge? A warrior should strive to make his life hard, for you only receive what you give, and Isaac was going to give his all.

"Isaac!" The gruff voice of his friend Garet did not at first penetrate his thick trance of labor.

"ISAAC!" Garet screamed at him, breaking his concentration. Isaac looked down at the tall redhead gazing back at him, a slightly annoyed expression upon his face.

"Yeah, Garet? What's up?" Isaac asked, thinking that this was just some normal, everyday drama such as Garet needing him to fix a chair or hide him from Jenna's wrath. The fiery girl had such a temper these days, it was surprising that Saturos and Menardi had survived five minutes in her company.

"You're not going to believe what happened at the Tolbi Bridge." Isaac went pale. He knew _exactly _what had happened.

"You'd be surprised… Take over for me, Garet. I gotta go find Ivan." With not another word, he leapt from his construction project and raced off into the heart of the town, leaving Garet in utter confusion. It didn't take long for him to reach the Inn, which was located in the center plaza at the base of the mountain. Racing up the stairs, he opened up Ivan's door to find him dozing off on his bed.

"Yo, Ivan! Wake up!" Isaac said calmly, shaking the young Jupiter adept awake. In an instant, the clairvoyant youth had a dagger to his arm and his other hand around Isaac's neck. Isaac gulped. Perhaps it was a bad idea to startle the tiny kid.

"I heard that." Ivan's dagger removed itself from Isaac's wrist, but his grip tightened around Isaac's windpipe A few seconds of pain later, Ivan had released his neck leaving him to gasp for air.

"Remind me not to surprise you ever again…" Isaac joked. Ivan nodded, sheathing his dagger. The blond adept had never used to carry daggers like that though… Isaac put it from his mind. He needed to talk with Ivan.

"Ivan, you were right. Tolbi Bridge just got ransacked, I heard it from Garet." Ivan nodded, as if it had been expected.

"So you know what comes next, right?" Ivan asked him, leaving Isaac to nod in acceptance.

"They're coming for me. A rising dragon shall disappear in the near future… Me."

"Saturos. We should be reaching Kalay soon, shall we ransack it?" Saturos heard his partner ask behind him. They were standing on a flat plain close to the town of Kalay, travelling north. Vale was close, they remembered from their treks.

"No, we shall not hinder our progress. Vale lies mere days away now. Isaac shall die, and neither you or I wish to delay the inevitable." Saturos calmly told his partner without missing a step in his walking rhythm. The bridge at Tolbi had fallen with ease at their might, the few soldiers who recognized them fleeing at the sight of the two ragged and worn adepts. The rest had stood and fought… and died. Now they had gone through the caverns reaching around the Karagol, and had walked for a few days to get where they were now.

"Do you think we're powerful enough?" Saturos became irritated.

"Of course we are! Isaac had _all three_ of his friends to help him last time! With both of us… we shall crush him!" Saturos finished with a satisfied feeling. Revenge was his only fuel right now, burning within him like a bonfire or blaze. They would not stop until the blond haired weakling was at their feet, his lifeblood pooling upon the earth.

Another few days passed, and life had gone back to normal. Isaac had finished his construction, a beautiful two-story house for a family that had been out in the streets for some time. He had plenty of time to rest now, but for some reason he awoke one night. The full moon shone through his window, and he felt a desire to walk among the town. Restless, he opened his window and lightly dropped to the soft earth below, dampening the fall with his psynergy. Isaac walked aimlessly, not really having a purpose in the dark. He passed the inn, noting that Sheba, Ivan, and Mia were all sound asleep. Isaac moved on, his mind wandering like his body through his thoughts and emotions. It wasn't long until Isaac realized that he had stopped, and was right in front of Felix's house. Isaac was about to leave when he noticed a figure sitting on the roof. Climbing the house with ease, he found Jenna on the soft thatch, gazing at the stars. She glanced at his arrival.

"Isaac?" She asked, not really recognizing him in the semi-darkness.

"Yeah. You couldn't sleep either?" Isaac queried as he sat next to her, looking up at the night sky. Being an earth adept, he wasn't as attuned to the sky as the Jupiter adepts were, preferring the shared affinity of the land with the Mars adepts. He acknowledged, however, the calming effect the moon had upon him. Jenna nodded, and for a while they just sat there, gazing at the stars.

"Isaac?" Jenna began. Isaac looked at her, his eyes telling her to continue.

"Why did… you guys… come save me? What was going through your mind when I was kidnapped?" Jenna seemed interested, for some reason. Isaac really didn't know why she was talking about this, but something in his mind urged him to tell the truth.

"Well… I was scared for you… I didn't want you to die, or get hurt… I didn't want to…" He stopped, his mouth drying out immediately. Isaac's face reddened for some reason that he couldn't explain, but Jenna didn't notice. Her eyes softened, giving him the strength within himself to continue.

"I didn't want to lose you." Jenna smiled, touched at his gesture of affection. It was true, he had not gone to save her because she was a girl, nor was it because of him and Garet's friendship with her. He had gone because something inside of him _told_ him to, something primordial that urged him to save her with all due speed. For a while, they just laid there, looking into each other's eyes. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of fire light the forest for a brief moment, and knew that the time had come.

"Jenna… I have to go now. Hold onto this for me." He drew Masamune and laid it down on the thatch, before jumping from the roof swiftly. Jenna, to his great relief did not follow. Isaac merely heard her call once for him.

"Isaac, wait!" But he was already gone.

"You think he will come?" Menardi asked him. He nodded gruffly. Saturos knew Isaac's type. The warrior would not risk his friends in his battle. He would fight them. The duo had just lit the forest once with a flare, before moving to the middle of the forest clearing to wait for their adversary. After so long, they would finally get revenge on their nemisis.

Isaac.

Isaac burst through the trees into the clearing, facing his hated foes head on. In his heart, he knew what was to happen. Isaac's rising dragon would fade into oblivion, his soul would leave him this night. Isaac was going to die.

"Saturos. Menardi." He nodded to each in turn, waiting for their response. It was not long in coming.

"Good evening, child. Are you ready… to die?" Saturos asked him. Menardi was holding her scythe with shaking palms, her knuckles turning white from her rage. To Isaac, both warriors looked worse for the wear. But even a sweeping glance over them told him that they were just as deadly as ever. With a swift and fluid motion, he unsheathed his Gaia Blade to meet them.

"Then let this be our final battle. No mercy." Isaac settled low into his fighting stance, analyzing the situation as he did so. He was at a disadvantage, fighting two fighters at once. His only chance was to-

"Die!" Saturos charged at him, leaving him no time to form a strategy. Cursing, he dodged a flaming fist heading for his chest, parrying a swing of Menardi's scythe as he regained his balance. He had to go on the offensive if he was going to win this. With a great cry, he shouted the words of the apocalypse.

"ODDYSSEY!!!" Great swords of earthen might crashed into his hated foe Saturos, as he slashed furiously with his Gaia Blade. The warrior was thrown back a good ways, but in no way was the man harmed. On the contrary, the attack seemed to awake within the man the inner spirit of the warrior within. To Isaac's left, Menardi began to sweep her scythe at him, and he struggled to parry blow after blow of her techniques. They flowed endlessly from one attack to the next, the blond mars adept's scythe spinning madly. With a curse, he parried another blow and leapt over the fighter's head, Spireing her in the back as he landed. Just in time, he dodged another attack from Saturos as the man grazed his ear with a flaming fist. The pain was excruciating, but it opened his senses. Of course, it would do him no good…

"PYROCLASM!!!" The male Mars adept shouted, and a torrent of magma seared his body as eruptions threw him into the air. He landed, singed and scorched on the ground, but alive. Groaning, he rose to his feet to attack again. Saturos and Menardi cackled wildly at his fall, taking great pleasure in watching him in pain. With a great battle cry, he charged again at Saturos, dancing wildly around the man as his blade flew endlessly from one blow to the next. But always, his blade was caught by the man's armored forearm, until Isaac jumped over the man's head and spoke the spell of earthen wrath as he landed.

"Grand Gaia!" The earth split in two, bombarding the pair with rocks grown from the very world itself. Finally, as the spell ended, the pair was left panting on the ground, but still very much alive.

"I commend your skill, weakling…" Saturos began. "But it's time for you to die!" With a great shout, he stood and shot out his arm at Isaac's chest. Unprepared for the sudden movement, Isaac was shoved back several feet. Right into their trap. They both raised their arms, shouting in unison.

"_RISING DRAGON!_" He should have known this attack would have been his undoing. Twin dragons of fiery strength erupted from the ground beneath him, crushing him in their jaws. Unable to stop the attack, he was mortally wounded from the blow. He fell to the ground, unable to move again, his Gaia Blade sheathed in the earth next to him. His enemies walked over to him, relishing his pain.

"It's all over, _boy_. Time to meet your maker." Saturos chuckled, raising his right arm to the fallen warrior. At first, Isaac thought he was going to utter another fire spell, but instead he felt as if a black drape had been drawn upon the world. Great candles surrounded him, and he recognized his new situation. The spirit of death had fallen upon him. The Grim Reaper stood over his corpse, drawing his spirit ever closer. '_It's all over now. Jenna… stay safe. I ended up losing you after all… But as long as you're alive, I can die in peace._' And so the warrior Isaac resigned to his fate, as the seconds passed and his mortality began to fade away. The reaper began to sharpen his scythe. Soon, his life would be no more. Isaac closed his eyes, and waited for the final candle to sputter and die. '_It will all be over with this… 3… 2… 1…_'

Jenna first noticed the fire of the blade next to her five minutes after Isaac left her. Masamune held the great spirit of the dragon within it, she knew. But he had given it to her for a reason. Was it a sign, she wondered? Deciding not to take the chance, she picked up the blade and started after Isaac. Jenna would take no chances tonight. She had just confirmed that Isaac cared for her, and nothing would stand in her way anymore. The trees passed by as a blur as she ran, the fire of the blade lighting her way. Not long after, she saw the light beginning to fade, and gulped audibly. That couldn't be good. She reached the clearing after a few more minutes of running. Jenna was treated to the scene of her worst nightmare. Isaac laid on the ground, defeated. The spirit of death hung over him, waiting for his spirit to give out. Saturos and Menardi stood over him, and Jenna realized why he had gone. This was his fight. But Jenna would not allow it. Not today, not tomorrow, not _ever!_ Noone would take Isaac from her, not even the Reaper himself! Holding her hand over her heart, she whispered the ancient spell of healing known only to the true descendants of the great Fire clan.

_Flame burning,_

_Ever brightly._

_Stars shining,_

_Bright as lightning._

_Our auras shine too,_

_The flames of the new,_

_Our oaths forever binding._

A great heat settled upon the clearing, washing through Isaac's body. The spirit of Death was banished from him, as Jenna cast her Cool Aura. As the spell finished and the heat dissipated, Jenna revealed herself to the dumbfounded warriors.

"You'll regret that." She said calmly, leveling her blade at the two fighters. They merely chuckled.

"Why, if it isn't that little girl. You aren't afraid of us anymore, are you? Think about this, you stupid idiot! If Isaac couldn't defeat us, what makes you think you can?" Menardi snapped at her, and she nearly lost faith. The only thing keeping her there now were thoughts of Isaac and revenge.

"Because I have something you don't." Jenna calmly asserted, beginning to charge up energy. This attack drained a lot from her, but it was worth it. As a backup, she had borrowed Flash from Garet a few days ago, so she should be fine.

"Oh? And what is that?" Saturos asked, taking a step towards her. It was to be the last mistake of his life.

"This! _DRAGON FUME! RISING DRAGON!!!_" The combined might of Jupiter and Mars thundered from her, Masamune combining with her attack to create a three pronged spear of pure strength. Saturos didn't know what hit him, as the murderous attack hit him square on in the chest. Defeated, the warrior fell to the ground, his heart no longer beating in his chest. Menardi backed away in fear, taking a few steps before realizing her advantage. Calmly, she lowered the tip of her scythe to Isaac's neck. Jenna's heart stopped.

"Now now, little girl. You don't want me finishing him off, do you? Then I suggest you do as I say." Jenna cursed inwardly, realizing that there was nothing she could do. She watched furiously as Menardy chuckled at her.

"If you hurt him, I swear…" She stopped when the scythe drew a drop of blood from his neck.

"Or what?" Menardi asked menacingly. Jenna had to make a choice. Back off, and let Isaac die, or attack, and take her chances. However, fate took the decision right from her hands.

"Or _THIS! APOCALYPSE!_" Jenna looked over at her brother, who had leapt from a nearby tree. Upon landing, a great thunderous shockwave blasted out from his feet, knocking Menardi's feet from under her. It took Jenna's breath away, even as she dodged the attack. Isaac was somehow immune to the shock on the ground, whether it was because he was Venus based or because he was flat on the ground. Menardi's scythe had dropped from the warrior's hands and had been thrown against a tree with the force of the spell. Defeated, Menardi was unable to rise to her feet, instead weakly supporting herself on her knees. Jenna smiled at her brother's timely arrival.

"Thanks Felix. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you came." Jenna thanked her brother, who nodded before grabbing Menardi by the collar of her tunic.

"You came back to life, and you come here only to throw it away? What is the matter with you?!" Felix shouted at his old companion, and Jenna suddenly remembered Felix's role with the pair. Jenna took advantage of Menardi's distraction to check on Isaac. She knelt down, running her hands over his body to make sure there were no broken bones. Satisfied, her mind returned to the conversation in time to hear the last words.

"-forget all about your sister?" Felix had obviously struck a low blow.

"My sister, Karst? The Wise One told me she was dead! She told me that Isaac had killed her!" Menardi was shouting, her passion aroused. Felix nodded his head.

"No, the Wise One was wrong. I left the lighthouse aerie before we left, I went back to get her! She was barely alive when I lit the beacon. I alone carried her back to Prox. And yet you flew off the handle to get revenge! Well, I hope you're happy." Noticing that Isaac was getting up, he included him in his conversation.

"I'll let _him_ decide what to do with you." Felix said with apparent pleasure, glancing over at the warrior on the ground. Groaning, Isaac sat up. Apparently, he had heard most of the conversation, because he seemed to know what was going on.

"Take her back to her sister, Felix. Let her go." Felix nodded, pleased with the decision. Menardi cried out at them.

"I cannot move, you fools! It would be better for me to die here." Menardi closed her eyes, waiting for either to comply. On the contrary, Jenna saw, Felix had an ace up his sleeve.

"Who said we were walking?" Felix said, taking out the blue stone from his tunic. A soft flash of blue light, and Felix was gone. Isaac and Jenna stared at the place he had been but a moment before. Jenna broke the silence first.

"Come on, Isaac. Let's get you some rest. You can crash at my place tonight."

Felix and Menardi appeared in the frozen wastelands of the North. The blizzards had died down with the rising of the Golden Sun, and the yellow orb in the sky was visible through the clouds. Menardi seemed surprised to find herself here, but then she noticed the Lapis in his hand and realized what must have happened.

"Felix?" She began as he started to carry her back to the village, which sat on the horizon. He grunted his response.

"Yeah?"

"I'm… sorry. Thank you for saving my sister." For the first time, Menardi was showing compassion, and Felix did not ignore it. He nodded, exaggerating the motion so that she could see it. He carried her in silence for many minutes before reaching the village. Many did not recognize the great hero upon his back, but those who did began to cheer loudly. Felix ignored them, walking purposefully to the place where Karst lived. It was on the outskirts of the village, forcing him to pass through much of the town to reach it. The noise was deafening as one by one, the villagers recognized the figure he carried upon his back. Finally, he reached Karst's house, which she had taken after she had recovered from her injuries. He knocked on her door, before allowing Menardi to stand upon her own two feet, albeit leaning on him for support. Karst's reaction as she opened the door was to be expected. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Felix smiled at her expression.

"You looked lonely. Thought I might bring in someone to cheer ya up." Menardi was smiling in a mixture of gratefulness and sheer delight upon seeing her sister again. Karst's jaw still had not moved.

"Are you a… ghost?" Karst asked, and Felix shook his head.

"No, sister… I'm not." Karst was not convinced, and she walked over and put her hand on Menardi's face to prove it. She was solid. But the reunion was short lived, for Menardi fainted not two seconds after.

"Damn… I shouldn't have put so much power into that attack… Got a bed?" Felix asked upon noticing Menardi's condition. Karst stared at him blankly.

"Attack? What the-"

"Do you have a bed? I need to heal her, fast." Felix's urgent tone snapped Karst out of her confusion, and she swiftly led him to a small cot in the main room of her house. Setting her down, he placed one hand upon the woman's chest.

_Potent Cure…_

"Alright, that should do it." Felix told the girl as golden sparks danced about Menardi's body, healing her wounds. Karst was still wondering at what he had said earlier.

"Attack?" She asked simply. Felix explained.

"Menardi and Saturos came back to Vale to try to kill Isaac. The Wise One told her that you were dead. I don't know when this happened, but it was probably not long after the Golden Sun rose. I had to stop her." Felix finished, leaving Karst in confusion and anger.

"Wait, so what happened to Saturos?" Karst asked.

"I can only assume that my sister found Isaac nearly dead. She killed Saturos with a powerful attack akin to my Apocalypse spell in strength. It was over in an instant." Felix nodded his head, showing his regret. He would have avoided killing Saturos if possible, but it had to be done. Karst seemed to sense this as well. Suddenly, Felix found her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Felix… For saving me and my sister too." What was it today that made Menardi and Karst so emotional? Regardless, he hugged her back, and after they broke away (about ten minutes later) he made his excuses and vowed to return soon. He teleported away swiftly, leaving Karst to care for her sister.

Felix appeared back in Vale plaza, and began to walk for home. It had been a long night, but it was finally over. Sweet, sweet silence followed him as he walked the familiar bath back to his house. Up one set of stairs, then another… finally, he reached the house. Opening the door, he heard an odd sound. Dismissing it, he looked around the house to see everything neat and tidy. He walked up the stairs to the second floor, intending to go to sleep and try to catch a few hours when a very disturbing sound came from Jenna's room. Felix froze as he heard his sister moaning loudly in the next room. Racing over to her door, he began pounding it.

"Jenna, what are you doing in there?" Suddenly, he heard Isaac's voice join in. His blood boiled. How dare he do that to his sister!

"_ISAAC! I'LL KILL YOU!!!_" Felix shouted, drawing the Sol Blade and beginning to slash at the door in rage. To his frustration, a yellow and red aura was protecting the door.

"_GOD DAMNIT YOU GUYS! I AM GOING TO GET IN THERE AND KILL YOU, ISAAC!_" Felix fumed, unleashing his entire arsenal of attacks upon the door. All the while, the moaning grew louder and louder, coupled with shouts of 'oh Isaac!' and 'Yes! Yes!' Finally, Felix unleashed a powerful Apocalypse upon the door, breaking through both barriers simultaneously. He looked in upon the room to find both adepts, fully clothed, laughing their asses of at Felix's expression. The dark haired adept realized that they had done it on purpose to infuriate him.

"You… If I ever catch you two _actually_ doing it, expect what happened to Jenna's door to happen to you, Isaac." With that, he stormed out of the house, incredibly pissed off. Their laughter continued even after he slammed the front door to the house and wandered the streets once again until dawn.

Their laughter continued endlessly, Isaac thought that they would never stop. Jenna's idea had worked so well, it was almost unfair! To piss off Felix _that_ much… It was just too funny!

"Jenna! You're brilliant!" He said through bursts of laughter. They had come back to the house, and Isaac had begun to rest on the floor for about a half hour before they heard the front door open. Jenna had told him of their idea, and he had agreed, however creepy the idea had sounded. It had worked so well, Isaac thought they could have filmed it for money. Jenna found the breath to respond after several giggling fits.

"Heh, that's Felix for ya! Psychotic and psychopathic!" After several more minutes of laughing, they finally ran out of breath and lay panting on the floor. Isaac rose to his feet, gasping for breath, and walked over to Jenna's door that had slammed into the wall of her room. With his psynergy, he easily replaced it on the hinges of the doorframe. Jenna nodded in thanks, and he sat down on her bed, exhausted.

(Note: If you do not wish to read a lemon, then this story is over. Calmly press the back button on your browser and leave this page. However, if you wanna read some action, (Ivan-Garet, cough) then by all means, read. Not my first lemon, but definitely my best.)

"Well, I guess all there is to do is sleep. I'll take the floor." Isaac took the initiative, reasoning that it was her room after all. Then again, it was hard to get up off of a bed when someone is on top of you… Quick as thought, Jenna had pushed him down onto the bed and crawled onto his chest. She wasn't that heavy, but Isaac still couldn't completely remove her from his stomach without hurting her. Jenna was looking at him in a sort of _seductive _way, which began to creep him out.

"Uh… Jenna, are you okay?" Isaac asked, and Jenna responded in a purring voice.

"I'm fine… So, would you like to _really_ have some fun?" Isaac gulped at the idea. For one, he was still a virgin, so he didn't really know what it was like. Going on a quest did that to you, sadly. And two, Felix had promised to kill him.

"Didn't your brother tell us not to?" Isaac asked, before gasping as Jenna leaned in and kissed him on the lips. It was like heaven, in the few seconds they were together before she broke off.

"When have I ever listened to him?" Isaac conceded the point. Shrugging, he was allowed to free his arms from under him, and he began to remove Jenna's skirt. It came off easily, and Jenna helped him take it completely off of her. She was clad merely in an undershirt, panties, and a bra now. Jenna leaned in, and began to kiss him as she unlaced his tunic. She was quite quick, he found, as in less than a minute it was on the floor and he was bare chested. Pulling away from the kiss again, she rubbed her hands along his rock hard abs. They were clearly defined with his rigorous training, and Isaac could see her eyes glint in satisfaction. Quick as thought, he pulled Jenna's shirt off and threw it to the ground, leaving her almost naked form to his eyes. He looked her over, arousal and lust quickly rising within him.

"Nice… You're… beautiful…" He drooled, his eyes lingering upon her breasts and curves. She giggled quietly, and reached for his arms. He allowed her to pull his arms around her back, and a quick tug later her bra was completely off. They leaned in closer for another kiss, and their bodies touched together. He found his hands running along her back, pulling her closer to himself. Conversely, her arms were down to his pants, unlacing them and throwing them off. He was left in his boxer shorts, his member beginning to poke out of them. Jenna broke off of their kiss, rising to her knees.

"So, what would you like? Normal or Oral?" She asked him. Isaac considered it, knowing enough to know what the difference was. He came to a decision.

"You decide. It's your night. Consider it a thank-you gift for saving me." Isaac joked, and they leaned in to kiss again. He felt her hands run over his muscular frame as their tongues began to battle furiously inside of their mouths. Neither was winning, as Isaac tried again and again to twist his around hers and lick it dry, but she would always do the exact same whenever hers found a weak point. After several more minutes, they broke off, both panting. Jenna rolled over, and told him her decision.

"Oral. Let's see how well you can do." Isaac grinned, rolling over and allowing her to spread her legs apart so he could get in there. With a swift motion, he threw off her panties, revealing her opening. It was simply magnificent to him, and he spent a second massaging his fingers over the hole. She began to moan softly as he touched it, and he enjoyed her pleasure. He leaned in and touched his lips to her vagina. He ran his tongue over it, swirling about until her moans escalated and grew louder. Her pleasure was intensifying, and Isaac was soon able to stick his tongue all the way inside. Isaac held onto her legs and licked her as hard as he could inside of her passage, feeling her excitement as he extended his tongue further and further inside of her.

"Oh, Isaac! Isaac, don't stop!" She moaned, and finally Isaac's tongue could go no further, and he could feel her excitement boil over. She shuddered slightly, as her hot spill washed over him. He sucked down almost every last drop before exiting, noticing her soft gasps of pleasure. She looked more beautiful than ever to him, grasping her pillow with both hands. Finally, after a few seconds of ragged gasps, she found her voice.

"That was amazing…" Isaac nodded, licking his lips, before noticing where her eyes were going. She sat up, and Isaac allowed her to climb on top of him. Their eyes met, and they expressed their passion through them.

"I've never done this before, so…" Isaac cut her off.

"It's okay. I trust you." Jenna smiled, before completely removing his boxers to expose his pulsing member. It was nine inches long, and he was darn proud of it. Jenna began to stroke the head, sending waves of pleasure through Isaac's body. He gasped at the feeling, as she continued. Finally, she lowered her mouth to the tip, and ran her tongue over it. Isaac groaned slightly as the feeling increased, and struggled to hold still. Jenna began to suck lightly on the head, and with every second she sucked harder and harder upon it. Isaac began to groan louder, when the entire shaft disappeared within her mouth. She began the motion, up and down, up and down, and the waves of pleasure washed over him. It was all he could do not to thrust the entire erection further within her mouth. A growl escaped him, and he struggled to talk through the feeling.

"Errgh… Jenna, I'm going to… to…" Isaac nearly didn't make out the last word. As his groin clenched up and he felt the juices flowing, he finally grunted out the last word.

"Cum!" His seed shot out of his head, and Jenna began to suck down all of it. Finally, the feeling died down, and Jenna sat up and looked at him.

"That was good…" He said, able to talk normally. She nodded, smiling slightly. But the fun wasn't over yet.

"Want to do it the normal way?" She asked him. Isaac nodded, smiling. She grinned back at him and she lay on top of him. They just looked at each other for a few seconds, their passion reigniting. Finally, Jenna lowered her pussy to his erection, and the feeling began again. They both gasped as Isaac's cock penetrated through her opening, and Jenna began the motion. Up and down, the waves of pleasure flowed through them. They both moaned in pleasure, and Jenna winced in ecstatic pain as Isaac broke through her barrier. Her vaginal fluids washed over his erection as the motions increased, and he was building up to the climax. To add to the experience, he began massaging her erect nipples, making her moan in even greater pleasure. She moved faster, up and down, up and down, until finally Isaac's head began to pulsate. Their fluids met inside as they continued, his seed flowing through her passage. A few seconds later, it was over, and his erection began to fade away and slide out of her. She kissed him on the lips once again. One thing was for sure, this wasn't to be the last time they would have so much fun.

"We are so screwed when Felix finds out."


	11. Ice Cold

Ice Cold

**Well, well… First thing i've written in weeks! It's taken me a long time to find my inspiration, but I finally got the idea for this story while talking to my friend on the Fire Emblem pages. So, read and enjoy another Duskshipping story, one of my favorite pairings.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Golden Sun Characters, nor do I want them. After all, if I take them, then who will appear as a cameo in Golden Sun DS? Eh?

"Keep running, weakling! Menardi will whip you again if you keep on slacking!" He heard a voice above him, the same voice he had heard countless times before, in this exact spot. Of course he had _tried_ not to keep falling down onto the freezing snow, but it was hard not to with the ice patches scattered around the training yard. Not to mention the random hurdles, wooden fences, walls rising out of nowhere, and various other motion impediments scattered around the small enclosure.

Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his knees, struggling to steady himself on the cruel ice below. Training was not very fun to begin with, let alone with Karst sneering at him every time he made a fool of himself. As he struggled to push himself onto his feet, he suddenly felt a boot slam down onto the small of his back, sending him crashing back into the cruel snow that seemed to cover the cold north like a blanket. The pressure did not relent upon his back, even as he struggled to rise despite it. He was doomed to failure, unused to the terrain as he was. Karst snickered gloatingly behind and above him, as he writhed upon the ground.

"Aww… has the weakling had enough? Grow up, Felix! Be a man and get back to the course, or do you not have the _guts_ to help us?" Felix's face burned with rage, but he remained silent. She was right… his parents' lives were at stake. Employing a new strategy, Felix lay still, waiting for a chance to break free.

"So you've finally given up, have you? Good riddance. Let someone actually _practice_ instead of just lying around like a lazy weakling." Felix waited, until the Proxian above him finally slipped up. Concentrating with all his might, he forced a weak tremor to grip the earth below. Karst's foot slid off of Felix's back, and he rolled away from the Proxian girl before she could try to stop him again. Slowly, he rose to one knee, then to his feet, facing Karst who stood glaring at him from across the training ground. She was… smiling?

"Finally… I was wondering when you'd stop being such a pussy and fight. Now get back to work!" So it had all been a test… Felix glared at her for a few seconds before returning to the obstacle course. It took all of his concentration to avoid the ice patches hidden beneath the snow, which he had eventually learned to avoid. Next he reached a wall, which he had to climb. Easier said than done… there were no footholds. Groaning, he gripped the freezing stone with psynergy, willing the stone to support him. It took him minutes to scale it, but he finally managed to heave himself over the top and land back onto the ground.

Unfortunately, he had landed on his stomach… The wind rushed out of him, leaving behind a sore ache in his chest, but he struggled to rise despite it. If he didn't finish, his reluctance would be duly noted by the dark skinned girl surveying him closely, and he would no doubt be punished severely by her older sister. Karst had not been lying about the whip.

Eventually, he made it back to the start, after slipping three more times on new ice patches and falling face first into the snow after a failed hurdle. His breathing came in short ragged gasps, and it was a tantalizing prospect to lean onto his knees in exhaustion, but weakness was dangerous in Prox. Karst just stood there, watching him breathe, waiting until he had calmed enough so that he could begin the process all over again. Such was his lot in life… Train until his limbs failed and his brain froze, heal up until he was barely strong enough to stand, and repeat the process. There was no fighting it, so he was forced to simply live with it.

A cruel smile began to play on the Proxian's cold lips, and Felix received that familiar sinking feeling. The kind he got when some dark shadow was about to walk up behind him and stab him in the back.

Indeed, a dark shadow _did_ come up behind him… but he did not feel an icy dagger plunge into the depths of his heart. Instead, something worse appeared behind him… Menardi's voice.

"Your progress is slow, and Saturos thinks I should start whipping you more. Granted, I would love nothing more than to whip you until there is nothing left to whip, but we lose more warriors that way than if we had sent them off to war ourselves. But, in your case… Karst has requested that I show a little less mercy…" Felix gulped… He wondered why Karst hated him so, why she was forcing him to endure such torture. Behind him, he heard the sound of the whip dragging on the icy ground, but he kept his gaze forward, his expression stoic. Only his eyes betrayed the intense hatred burning within him through his equally intense glaring at Karst, who could not contain her sadistic glee.

By Menardi's command, Karst marched him over to a tree, and bade him wrap his arms around it. He did not resist, not this time… He had long since learned that resistance was only self-defeating. Karst stood back next to her sister, and Felix waited for the inevitable cadence to begin…

"One." A burning agony erupted in his back, searing heat melting away the frigid cold that pervaded the frozen north constantly. By rights, he should have been numb from the cold by now, should not have been able to _feel_ pain… but in Prox such logic was slaughtered in the streets daily, as only the warriors survived.

"Two." Another bout of searing heat erupted into his flesh, and his heart began to pound savagely within his chest. His eyes closed, his teeth clenched, the pain was beginning to become too much… and he was only on number two.

"Three." Finally, the numbness came, carrying him off to unconsciousness. He could only hear the whistling of the scourge behind him… the burning of the wound no longer seared. A metallic taste on his tongue soon vanished, as did the stench of blood beginning to well up toward his nostrils. Something clicked in his mind, something was wrong… They had never whipped him so severely before. Perhaps they had been holding back, he reasoned… But if one thing was certain through the pain filled delirium, it was that he would not be awake by number ten.

"Four." He had already fallen into a dreamless sleep. Unconscious.

Flashes of feeling returned, as his brain struggled to pick up the pieces of his shattered consciousness. Sometimes he could feel the rough cot beneath him, sometimes he could hear the sound of creaking floorboards, sometimes he could see flashes of light through his leaden lids. Always, he could feel the ache of the wounds on his back. The healers refused to remove the scars, he remembered… He would be marred for life.

Soon his senses began to align once more, until they all returned in a shocking flash of feeling. The ache in his back had not healed, unfortunately… The pain had worsened now that he was awake. Someone had apparently noticed, as well, as a familiar voice rang out from the other side of the room.

"'bout time you woke up. Menardi's been waiting for ages for you." Felix let out a groan. Not Karst… not again. He would have taken anyone else watching him right now, even Saturos… but Karst, she was going to kill him in the long run.

Shuddering with the pain, he opened his eyes a crack. He found himself staring at the wall of one of the basements in the village. It was funny, that he hadn't realized the warmth of the room before. It was easily ten degrees warmer in the small basement than in the upper house, where there was a nice fire. Right about then he noticed that he wasn't in the small cot he had been assigned when he first came to Prox. Karst's? He heard footsteps on the wooden floors, creaking as they came ever closer to his prone form. Wonderful… She was about to shock him awake by pounding on his wounds. It had become a cruel joke for her in the past few weeks to see him in pain.

Odd… He suddenly felt calm… His muscles relaxed, and he felt the skin of his back ripple and re-form. The pain faded away, leaving behind cool warmth in its place. He began to realize that Karst had done the exact opposite, and not only healed the wound, but removed the scar as well. Confused, he rolled over, expecting it to be a test.

Propping himself up with his hands, he began to get out of bed, thinking that they were testing his willingness to go back to training after that fierce whipping. However, even as he began to move Karst's hand was placed on his chest, stopping him. He raised an eyebrow.

"You healed me. Don't you want me to go back to training?" He muttered, the first time he had spoken for weeks. Isolation and brutal punishment did that to people. His voice sounded strange to him, somehow… like a stranger's. Even more strange was the voice returned to him… Karst's… except absent of the previous sadistic cruelty.

"You did well, Felix. I'm impressed. Not only did you shake me off, but you took Menardi's whipping as well." Felix was suitably confused. He had passed out by four whips, why was that impressive to her?

"Menardi hasn't been telling me to watch you, you know…" She continued, all the while keeping firm pressure on his chest to stop him from running.

"You were something different, something I hadn't seen before… I wanted to see if you were like us. At first, I was disappointed… You were quiet, and you were weak… But you didn't complain. You resisted, too… I admired that… Menardi's decided to take you to get the Elemental Stars…" Karst paused, and her grip lightened. Felix was tempted to leave, but he stayed because it was warm inside, and he was interested as to why Karst was keeping him here.

"Never mind… it's just, I might not see you again after you leave. I want you to know… You're not weak. You're more of a Proxian than I've seen in some of our finest warriors." Karst smiled again. That same smile that he hadn't seen before. He was tempted to forgive her for all of the pain she had caused him… And the training…

For the first time he noticed that Karst had opted not to wear battle gear for once, instead donning a warm fur dress. Her eyes, he also saw, were bright red. He hadn't noticed before, the snowstorm had always hidden them from view. The more he looked, the more he tried to fight the urge to forgive her… She had caused him dozens of whippings, he reminded himself. She had made him run the course hundreds of times, she had…

Ah screw it. He forgave her. Smiling for the first time since he had come to the forsaken village of Prox, he replied:

"I'll come back… Don't worry." A small nagging feeling began to worm its way into the back of his mind. Suddenly, it didn't seem very likely that Menardi would very much approve… He imagined her coming down the stairs this very moment, whip in hand, ready to make him pay for touching her sister.

Suddenly, he heard someone coming down the stairs. Faster than thought, he leapt out of bed and ran… No matter how much he wanted to stay, he wasn't going to risk another whipping! Passing by a startled Menardi, he raced out the door back to the training area. Maybe Karst wasn't as ice cold has he had believed… But Menardi sure was.

**Thanks go to Lynnie Kleriker for inspiration for this Golden Sun Short.**


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